Dear Senpai
by leavesfallingup
Summary: Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?
1. First Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 1**

_Dear Tsuruga-Sempai,_

_I will begin this letter by apologizing once again for burdening you with this odd assignment. I know that you are far too busy to waste your time reading some mindless letter from your junior in the company; and yet you have once again shown your gracious side in promising to accept and read my letters._

_I did not have the chance to explain how this all came about. You deserve an explanation about how you were chosen to be the recipient for my letters. Yesterday, just after you kindly dropped me off at LME, I went to the LoveMe office to change into "that pink monstrosity," as Moko-san refers to our uniforms. When I opened my locker, a manila envelope fell out with a simple questionnaire and instructions to complete it ASAP. _

_The questionnaire asked basic questions about LME. For example, it asked "Who do you consider to be the hardest working person at LME?" Naturally, I wrote your name. Another question asked, "Who do you respect the most at LME?" Again, I wrote your name. Please believe me, Tsuruga-san, I had no idea what this was about. The instructions told me to go to President Takarada's office when the survey was completed. When I arrived, he called me in immediately… I had never seen a man in-person dressed as a flamenco dancer… he was quite good. He took the survey, read through it, and then looked at me with a very frightening smile. _

_After another dance, he handed us (Moko-san and Chiori-san had arrived by then) a second envelope. This one had instructions for the newest assignment: _**correspondence**_. The assignment is to write at least one letter each week sharing our thoughts, our dreams, our successes, and our failures. The President explained that letter-writing has been valued as one of the highest forms of personal communication since the dawn of history, or at least the dawn of written language. He went on to explain that the process of writing letters would help us to explore our many feelings and thoughts, thus making us better actresses._

_Then he explained the purpose of the surveys. We would be required to write our letters to the person whose name appeared the most on our surveys. Sempai, I tried to explain that you were too busy to be allowed to be pestered by meaningless drivel from lowly kohai's, but he would not listen. Instead, he told me that he had a solution: he would provide a theme for each week so that we would not have to write "meaningless drivel" in our letters. I am sincerely sorry about this, but I will promise to do my best to write at least one meaningful sentence in each letter._

_Thank you, once again, for understanding. If you should choose to discard my letters without reading them, then I will understand._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	2. Second Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 2**

_Dear Tsuruga-Sempai,_

_This is just a short note to inform you how very surprised and honored I was to receive your return letter in the mail this morning. I did not realize that it was you, at first, because your address began with "Mister C" in English. I was confused when I extracted the letter and found that it was from you. Why did you choose the letter "C" instead of "T" or even "R," [the next line was hastily scribbled] not that it would be appropriate for me to use your given name or anything like that… gomen._

_I was very worried that you would be annoyed about becoming the involuntary recipient of my letters, so I am relieved that you think that it will be "great fun." Honestly, as much as I appreciate your return letter, it is not necessary. But if you do choose to write back, then I will work doubly-hard to make sure that what I write will have something worth reading and replying to._

_Takarada-shacho will give us our first theme on Monday. I am looking forward to it because writing was always my favorite core-subject in school. When I was little my teachers used to encourage me to write stories. I got a perfect score one time, but when I __**[the next three lines were aggressively scratched out, but the word "Mother" was still visible]**_

_Please forgive my messiness. One of the rules that we were given is that we must hand-write our letters and that we were allowed to line-out, but were not allowed to re-write our letters. I don't understand this, but I must abide by the President's rules. I started to write about something that happened in my childhood before I realized how foolish it was to burden you with my past. Please forgive me._

_I am glad that I took this survey seriously, even though it became an inconvenience to you. Moko-san assumed that the survey was for some magazine article. She decided to write down Usegi Hio in most of the lines because he was on her mind at the time. When she worked with him on the previous day he was depressed and irritable. It turned out that some of the other child-actors had given him a difficult time, saying that he only got so much work because of his family name. It isn't true. I have seen several of his dramas and movies and he is a very fine actor. Moko-san (please don't tell her that I call her that. She doesn't like me to call her that in front of people, but you are a friend, so this is different) tells me that Hio is one of the hardest-working and most talented actors she has ever met. Anyway, because she wrote his name down for most of the categories, she has to write to him. This is embarrassing to her because Hio already has a crush on her – which isn't surprising since she is the most beautiful and talented up-and-coming actress around._

_Though I feel sorry for Moko-san, I feel worse for Amamiya Chiori. She didn't take the survey seriously at all and (this is very embarrassing) she wrote __**my**__ name down. She is actually from SoftHat, not LME, so she probably doesn't know many people here yet; so now poor Chiori-san has to write to me. I tried to argue for her with Takarada-shacho, but he only smiled and told me that I was being too humble… whatever that means. The result is that I will now be corresponding with two people. I only think it is fair to answer her letters, since you have chosen to reply to mine. I wish, for her sake, that the President would allow her to write to somebody significant in the company, instead of a talento beginner like me._

_Thank you, once again, for being such a good mentor to me. Even though I am unworthy, you always take time to help, or advise, or scold me when it is necessary._

_Your humble kohai,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

_P.S. I hope that you were not offended when I wrote that you are a friend. You wrote something about that in your letter to me, and I was still thinking about it when I was writing this letter. When I realized what I had written I almost scratched it out. It was presumptuous for me to write such a thing. But then I was afraid that you would see that I had scratched it out and you would be offended, so I left it in. I know that I am unworthy of such an honor, but I must admit that it made me happy when you wrote it. MK_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san,<em>

_Please don't feel embarrassed about having to write letters to me. It must be mortifying for someone with your years of acting experience to have to write letters to someone like me. I suppose that the lesson to be learned from this is to always take LME questionnaires seriously. I tried to persuade Takarada-shacho to let you re-take the survey, but he refused. He said that you were sincere in your answers and must therefore adhere to the rules (I think he just finds it amusing that you wrote my name in). I am sorry._

_Therefore, since you are stuck with writing to me instead of somebody important, I suggest that we simply correspond as friends. We have both been so busy lately that we have never had the chance to truly get to know one-another. Please feel free to write whatever you wish and I will reply in-kind._

_Your friend and fellow Pink-Sufferer,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>Several reviewers have asked if I intend to include letters from Ren, Chiori, etc.

In reply: I'm modelling this after the book Daddy Long-Legs. In that book the entire story was told from the perspective of the girl writing to her anonymous benefactor. It was beautifully written and ingenious. This story may not compare, but I want to follow in that same pattern.

This story will be highly free-form. I have not set number of chapters nor a defined plot-line as of this point. I know where it is going, but have not yet outlined all of the steps for getting there. I also make no promises on updates. As one reviewer noted, this story also exists to help to spur my creativity when I feel overwhelmed by my more cumbersome chapter stories.


	3. Third Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 3**

_Dear Friend [written abnormally large],_

_I am writing the salutation above under duress and protest. I do not believe that it was appropriate for you to take advantage of my vulnerable position, being alone with you in your apartment, in the manner in which you did._

_I do not think that it is either foolish or unreasonable for me to feel reluctant about the impropriety of me calling you "friend." You are my senior in the company in age, in experience, in portfolio, and regardless of what you say, in talent. I do not see why you cannot understand my reluctance to adopt a more casual tone with you, nor my hesitation about the presumption of calling you "friend."_

_Therefore it seems entirely inappropriate for you to use such high-handed methods to force me into submitting to your point-of-view. It was bad enough for you to make me stand on your balcony and yell "Tsuruga Ren is my friend!" twenty times. _[The next line appears to be written by a nervous hand]_ But it was entirely inappropriate for you to corner me on the couch, invading my personal space and giving me that Emperor of the Night look while promising a more… personal punishment if I refused!_

_Sir, I must remind you that, though I am only your kohai, I am still a young lady! I fully realize that you are a playboy with a long string of female companions. I understand that I am far from your ideal type and I accept that you do not see me as a woman, but it is still inappropriate to come so close to… nevermind. I will write no more about this._

_This week our writing assignment is to write about our childhood. I was uncertain about what to write until I received a letter from Chiori-san which reminded me of a short and wonderful time. You have almost certainly forgotten, but I once told you a portion of this story. When I was a little girl of six, I met a very special boy in a very magical place in the woods behind the F[scratched out] the place where I lived._

_I was crying at the time, the reasons do not matter now, and at first I did not believe my eyes. He had golden hair and blue eyes and the most beautiful (should I say handsome? He really __**was**__ beautiful, but boys don't like that word applied to them, do they?) the most handsome face I had ever seen. He did not laugh at me for crying, like most of the boys in school would have done. He didn't even get a weird look on his face and look away, like one boy I knew. Instead, he kindly asked, "Are you all right, little one?"_

_I know that you will laugh when you read this, but I asked him, "Are you a faerie?" I won't write any more about that because you will most likely only laugh at me, and I am still … nevermind! (It is annoying that we are not allowed to blot-out or rewrite these letters). Anyway, the reason that I wrote about that memory is because he once told me that he couldn't fly because his father's hands were too big. Whenever he started to fly, his wings would snag on his father's fingers and he would fall to the earth once again._

_I should explain, even though you will probably laugh (I did tell you about this before. You didn't laugh. Instead you [the next words were so scratched out as to be illegible] it does not matter. I will tell you: his father was the King of the Faeries, and he was so powerful that his hands spread across the sky. I know that this sounds silly, but it is true nonetheless. It reminds me of what you once said about Director Ogata and his father._

_I don't know if Corn... that was the boy's name… I don't know if he was ever able to fly past his father's hands. I hope so, but if he did, why didn't he ever visit me? He promised that he would. He helped me a lot in the short time I knew him, and I want to think that I was able to help him in some small way. He was only there for about ten days, and then he was gone._

_I remembered all of that because of Chiori's letter (I can write about this because her story is well-known). She wasn't able to fly either, but not because of her father. She was blocked by her own excellence. She played a character so well that people couldn't imagine her in a different type of role. I am glad that I was never a child-star, though perhaps then I would have been able to be a better actress. She had it hard, just as Uesugi Hio also has it hard at times. _

_When did you start acting? All the articles about you start when you were fifteen._

_I'm sorry for what I wrote at the beginning of this letter. I will address my letters "Dear Friend" from now on, as you have requested. I do consider you to be a friend, as presumptuous as that seems to me._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko  
>Friend of Tsuruga Ren<em>

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san,<em>

_I agree that it seems silly to exchange letters when we see each other at least once a week on-set, and sometimes twice or more on LoveMe tasks at LME. Still, it is also nice to be able to compose our thoughts before writing. I also feel highly honored that you were willing to share such a painful incident from your childhood._

_I have to confess that I had already viewed your movie "The Scarlet Dice." When Moko-san and I were in LME Acting School, one of the teachers showed us the movie. She focused on you as an example of an actress who "reached into the darkest corners of herself to find her character." At the time I was deeply impressed, but had no idea that you paid such a price for your wonderful performance. You should have been celebrated as an amazing child-star, not rejected. It must have hurt a great deal._

_As you know, you and I have something in common in that respect: we have both become type-cast into bully/bad girl roles. _

_I don't have any good advice, but I will tell you what Otou-san once told me: He said that every character is different and that I had to show my talent by bringing each and every character to life. He also scolded me when I wanted to turn down roles that type-casted me as a Mio-type. I'm glad that I listened to him and tried out for Box 'R. If I hadn't, I never would have been able to act as Natsu and I wouldn't have met you._

_In answer to your question about how I "suddenly transformed in a single night," I can only say that a friend helped me._

_A very kind and wonderful friend, though that person does do disconcerting things sometimes._

_Next week we are supposed to write about family. That will not be easy for me._

_I will see you tomorrow on-set._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	4. Fourth Letter  an attempt at retraction

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 4 – An attempt at Retraction**

_Dear Mr. Tsuruga Ren,_

_As I stated in-person repeatedly this morning, what I wrote was merely a slip of the pen. There was neither a hidden meaning nor any innuendo in the title that I mistakenly mentioned in my previous letter to you. _

_When I coined the term "Emperor of the Night," I was merely using figurative language to describe the look that you, as an experienced actor, have cultivated while playing romantic scenes. I assure you that there was no reflection or suggestion that I am personally impacted in any way whatsoever by that look._

_As your junior, I respectfully suggest that you destroy that letter and I formally request that you make no further mention of that figure of speech ever again._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	5. Fifth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 5**

_Dear Friend,_

_I almost wrote "Dear Brother" before I caught myself. It seems so odd to be sitting here and writing this letter while I sit in our hotel room and you sleep as Cain Heel only ten feet away. I know that I should not break character, but I needed to write this letter now, in the middle of the night, because this is the last day of this week and I am out of time. I thought about working on it during the filming today, but Murasame-san seems to appear at odd moments and I didn't wish to be caught._

_You have been in the guise of Cain all week long and I have been tagging along as your doting sister. I sometimes wonder exactly what value I am lending to this deception. You are acting and filming your movie… but how am I helping? The President said that I help to "legitimize your role as Cain Heel." He also said that I am your "talisman," though I still don't understand what he means by that. Am I a burden to you? You never seem to break character, yet I always do._

_For example: Just this morning, when my heel caught in the storm grate and I hurt my ankle. You played the perfect big brother and insisted on carrying me piggyback all of the way to the studio… Actually, Sempai, that was quite embarrassing. My point is, I was, quite honestly, a little uncomfortable with the situation. You, on the other hand, never broke character once. You were Cain Heel, my big brother, and you found nothing wrong with carrying your little sister on you back for five blocks. It probably never even occurred to you that I am not your real little sister. [a squiggle line follows the preceding sentence, suggesting that Kyoko forgot to lift the pen as she drifted off in thought]_

_Oh, sorry for the messy letter. I was [several words are blotted out completely] thinking about my next job._

_The topic I am supposed to write about this week is family, which seems appropriate since I am here with my "brother": _

_I never had a big brother, or any siblings for that matter. The only true family that I ever remember at all is my mother. Actually, that isn't exactly true. There was a man who was often there in my early memories. He and my mother argued a lot. Then he was gone. Perhaps he was my father? My mother was a pretty woman, though she never smiled. She ["was" scratched out] is a businesswoman of some sort. I don't actually know what manner of business she was in, I just remember her in a business suit, always talking on the phone. She must have been very busy, because she never actually spent time with me._

_Around the age of five, my mother and I stated living off-and-on at a Ryokan in Kyoto. Occasionally, my mother would go on a long trip and leave me there. Several years later, my mother left me with the owners of the Ryokan permanently and she never came back (I hope that I am not burdening you with such information). I continued to live with them until I moved to Tokyo. _

_For a while I didn't like to talk about the place where I grew up because of my memories associated with another person. Now I am beginning to realize that the Ryokan couple was the closest thing I have ever had to true parents. I feel a great deal of guilt towards them for leaving in the way I did._

_I hope that this doesn't seem presumptuous, since I am unworthy to even address him, but recently... actually, since his visit last year… I am making a muddle of this letter. I am over-tired and I should have waited to write this letter. Do you remember when Hizuri Kuu visited last year and I worked for him? He insisted that I keep in contact with him. He also insisted that I call him Otou-san. I know that he is a famous actor, but he is also the kindest and most helpful person; much like a real father._

_Actually, he is a real father. He had a son named Kuon who would probably be around your age. I don't understand exactly what happened to him, but he seems to have left, or disappeared, or something like that. At first I thought that Otou-san's boy was dead, but he assured me that he is very alive and that he seems to be happy; though I don't understand how he could know that if he hasn't seen him. Otou-san is a true doting father. Whenever he begins to talk about his son he seems to go on for hours, extolling the many virtues of the boy (I guess that he would be a man now, wouldn't he?)._

_I doubt that anyone could be as perfect as all that, but I still think that it is wonderful how much this father loves his son. I sometimes wish that someone would [the word "love" is crossed out] care for me that much and be so proud of me._

_I apologize. I seem to be rambling because I am so tired right now. What I was trying to write is that Otou-san heard about this letter-writing assignment and now he wants me to write to him as well!_

_I should close this letter before I fall asleep. Tomorrow I have to write a reply to Chiori-san and a letter to Otou-san._

_I would tell you to sleep well, but I can see that you are. Is it difficult to sleep with your feet hanging off of the bottom of the bed?_

_[the letter ends without a closing. Rather, there is another line drifting off of the page]_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-chan,<em>

_Thank you for sharing with me about your father. I did not know that your father died when you were so young. It must have been difficult to continue acting in "The Scarlet Dice" even though your father died while you were filming.*_

_Tsuruga-sempai once told me that a true professional doesn't break-character even if there is a death in the family. I think he meant this as a figure of speech, but I have no doubt that he would keep going if such a tragedy happened to him. That means that you were a true professional even at such a young age. _

_I wish that I could be an actress of that caliber. I often lose my character when I am in difficult or embarrassing situations. Lately this has been happening quite a bit in one special role that I am playing. I don't really understand why (please don't ask me to explain. It is complicated)._

_I know that you will continue to act, even when difficult circumstances get in your way. Oh, and congratulations on your new role! I think that it is marvelous that they want you to play in a superhero movie, even if you have to play a super-villain. As someone whom I admire and respect greatly once told me: You have to make each role your own, even if you are being type-cast._

_I apologize for my poor calligraphy in this letter. I stayed up very late last night and then fell asleep in the middle of writing a letter. It was extremely embarrassing to be woken up… nevermind. That isn't important._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Otou-san,<em>

_I have to make this first letter extremely short because I am writing it in-between jobs. I am more than willing to write letters to you, if that is honestly what you want. Please don't make me feel guilty for not keeping in-contact before. I didn't wish to impose. __I thought that you were only being kind when you asked me to call you regularly; please believe me. I won't write any more about it as long as you promise not to pout over the phone again. You are very kind to treat me so well and I have decided that you honestly do wish to hear from me. The truth is that I have wanted to call you and ask you for advice many times over the past few months._

_Actually, right now I am playing a very confusing role. It is not actually a film role, per se; it is more like acting under cover. I am not at liberty to explain further, but I do wish I was. Lately I have been [several words are blotted out] shadowing someone; something like the role of a pseudo-manager. In the course of my role I have been working in close proximity to a highly experienced and gifted actor. He is plays a character who is completely different from his true nature, and he is marvelous. I play his little sister. _

_Our roles require us to work [the penmanship becomes more erratic at this point] closely together. Our relationship is… unusual. The problem is that while Tsu[crossed out but still slightly decipherable] the actor who I work with never breaks character, I often do. He must be very disappointed with my abilities. How do you keep in-character in situations that are… uncomfortable?_

_I have to close this letter now. I have a weekly role as a… mascot on a show, and then I have to get back into the character I was writing about. Thank you so much for allowing me to write to you._

_Sincerely,_

_Your pseudo-son, Kuon_


	6. Sixth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 6**

_Dear Friend,_

_I will keep this letter relatively short, since I need to finish it before you arrive back at your apartment this evening. I must admit that I felt like a thief going into your apartment suite by myself without you there. I know that you gave me your house key so that I could keep an eye on things, and I know that it will make it easier for you if you don't have to run back to LME after a late afternoon of filming. Still, it seems [a drifting line shows that Kyoko accidentally allowed the pen to touch as she tried to formulate her thoughts] slightly inappropriate._

_I know that it is silly to think that way. After all, until yesterday I spent nearly two weeks living as your sister in the same hotel room. But when we take our makeup off, I remember that we are not brother and sister._

_I won't waste anymore of your time on that, since tonight I am in your apartment to cook your going-away dinner. It must be wonderful to get so many film and modeling jobs in other countries. I have never been out of Japan, so Taiwan sounds very interesting indeed. I am curious: where else have you been? Sorry, you don't need to waste your time answering that if you are busy._

_The question does seem to transition naturally into my writing assignment for the week: "What is your dream for the future?" Was acting and travelling and becoming an international film star your dream?_

_I am embarrassed to mention my original motive for wanting to become an actress, but since you knew it, I can't pretend otherwise. I realize now just how much you must have despised me for joining LME with such a vile and despicable motive. I sincerely hope that you still believe me when I write that my motives are different now. I do not necessarily dream of becoming famous in Japan or internationally; that does not seem possible anyway. Rather, acting has helped to set me on the path of self-discovery. I want to find my ideal through the characters that I play, and then I want to become someone whom I can be proud of. Would it be presumptuous if I said that, as my sempai, I would like to make you proud too? And Kotonami Kanae, of course; and Takarada Lory; and so many others. _

_That is my dream: I want to become somebody that I can be proud of. It isn't much of a dream, I admit, but it is enough for me. It remains for people like you and Moko-san to pursue the big dreams._

_This doesn't mean that I don't want to become a great actress. I have never found anything that is as thrilling as acting. There is something magical in the way that people such as you can take a story and make it come to life on the screen. I want to do that too. In fact, now that I am in this industry, I can't imagine doing anything else instead._

_Oh! I should have been watching the time! I have to go now, so that I can prepare your dinner in time. You will probably read this after you are on the airplane or somewhere in Taiwan, so I'll close with:_

_Gambatte!_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san,<em>

_I apologize for how long it has taken me to respond to your letter. For the past several weeks I have been tied up in another LME Task that leaves me very little free time. This morning the person I have been supporting departed, so I should have more time to write now._

_I was surprised to read that you no longer believe that you have a dream. Up until this point you have never fully explained your reasons for being in LoveMe. I had assumed that your reasons were like my own, or perhaps like [the word "Moko-san" is scratched out] Kanae-san's. I didn't realize that you had lost your love of acting. After what you wrote in your previous letter, I suppose that it does make sense. But then, why do you continue to act (please don't think me rude for asking)? I have always enjoyed seeing you act, and you are wonderful. Do you still hate acting, or is it improving?_

_It might seem selfish of me, but I would hate to see you leave acting. I like your work and I hope to grow and learn from you._

_Thank you for sharing that with me,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Otou-san,<em>

_You don't have to worry; the person I work with on the project is a man, but he is an honorable and trustworthy sempai. He would never take advantage of me just because we are working so closely together. In fact, I cannot imagine that someone like him would ever think of me as any more than a talentless junior, or a little sister. I am not the type of girl that men become interested in anyway. He may pretend to draw close to me in order to tease me at times, but he doesn't mean anything by it._

_I wanted to tell you I was visiting someone's home yesterday and I saw not just one, but all of your movies in his entertainment center. He said that I was free to borrow his videos whenever I wanted to, so now I plan on watching as many of your movies as I can! _

_I read recently that you spent several months filming in Europe this last year. That must have been so exciting. Tsuruga Ren (do you remember meeting him?) just left this morning for Taiwan, where he will be filming for about three weeks. It must be exciting to travel._

_Will you be flying back to Japan anytime soon? For some reason I am feeling very lonely today._

_Sincerely,_

_Kyoko/Kuon_


	7. Seventh Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 7**

_Dear Chiori-san,_

_I think that there must be some sort of misunderstanding. I assure you that there is nothing going on between Tsuruga Ren and I, so there is no need for either you or Moko-san to become so incensed over the scandal in Taiwan. Tsuruga Ren is my senior in the company, nothing more. There is no reason whatsoever that he should not date or become engaged to Liem __Hùifang__. She is an experienced model, a gifted actress, and she is exceptionally beautiful. I am also sure that she is a nice person._

_As I said to Moko-san, Tsuruga Ren has never even pretended to have any interest in someone as plain and uninteresting as me. You know as well as I do that he has only ever dated women who are accomplished and spectacularly beautiful. I assure you that I never entertained any delusions [the remainder of the line is obscured. It appears that something wet was dropped on the paper and then hastily smeared]_

_I apologize for the messiness of this letter. I accidentally spilled something on it. Takarada-shacho's restriction against re-writing our letters seems rather constraining at the moment. Anyway, I am feeling very tired right now and a little under the weather. I will close now and say thank you for your concern, though it is misplaced._

_Sincerely,_

_Kyoko_

_p.s., I will write again at a different time in response to what you wrote about your "greatest heartache." For some reason I don't feel as if I can respond properly right now._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Sempai,<em>

_I should address this in the way that you have requested, but I am afraid that someone else might see it and misunderstand. Congratulations, by the way, on your new relationship. Liem __Hùifang-san is truly beautiful, like a princess. I was not aware that you were even seeing anyone, so the news of your imminent engagement came as a big surprise. I was aware that you had acted in a previous movie with her, but had not realized that you had grown so close. I wish you well._

_If you receive any phone calls or emails from [Mo scratched out] Kotonami Kanae, please disregard them. She is under a false impression; a simple misunderstanding which, I assure you, I had nothing to do with._

_I am supposed to write about the topic of the week, but I seem to have forgotten what the topic was. That is probably for the better, as I am feeling overwhelmingly tired. If I continue to feel this way by morning, I may have to phone in sick. Please don't despise me for this._

_I think that it would be best if I did not send any more letters for now, lest __Liem-san see them and misunderstand. I don't know when you will receive this, as I only have the studio's address at the moment._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Otou-san,<em>

_I assure you that I am fine and that all is well. It is true that I was sick for three days, but it was probably only a cold. I apologize for turning off my phone and not taking calls, but I was sick enough that I didn't feel up to taking calls._

_It was unprofessional of me to allow my body to become sick and to miss three days of work, but today I am on my feet and working once again. I don't really understand what made me sick. I was not congested, but I ached all over, especially in my chest. I feel much better now, though for some strange reason I feel very [the words "sad," "emotional," and "depressed" were written and then scratched out] I can't honestly explain how I feel. _

_But don't worry: your pseudo-son will not embarrass you any further. Today I will go to work with a renewed enthusiasm and I will make up for all of the time lost. Whatever it is that is bothering me, I am sure that it will pass with a healthy dose of hard work!_

_I fail to understand why everyone keeps bringing up the news about Tsuruga Ren and __Liem __Hùifang. It is true that I introduced him to you when you visited last year, and it is true that I greatly respect him as an actor, but there is nothing between us. I think it is wonderful that you, one of the world's most renowned actors, take the time to communicate with me, but that is because you are such a wonderful and kind person who overlooks the inadequacies of others. That does not mean that others, such as Tsuruga Ren, who is my senior and superior in every sense of the word, should look upon me as anything other than a talento-but hopeful actress in the company._

_The skies outside seem very dull and gray today. I wonder: is it sunny in California? I hope that all is going well,_

_Your affectionate "son,"_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	8. Eighth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 8**

_Dear Otou-san,_

_I cannot in good-conscience accept the ticket that you sent me. It is much too expensive and there is no way that I can possibly clear my schedule for two weeks. I apologize deeply if anything that I have written to you made you feel that I was asking for such a gift from you. Besides, how would your beautiful wife feel about having another child foisted upon her, as if I were truly your daughter (or son)? It is far too much to ask._

_I value the care you give to me deeply and I place great weight upon the advice that you offer to me. You are an actor without peer and I cannot even begin to explain my astonishment that you spend time on someone like me… I know, I know: you have already berated me for my self-effacing habit. I cannot completely agree with you, but I understand what you are saying to me. I will make a serious effort to stop "putting myself down," as you described it. I do appreciate your kind words and, since I would never call you a liar, I will accept them at face value._

_Yes, I did see the interview with Tsuruga Ren. He must have been mortified when Liem __Hùifang's agent spread this false rumor. As a relative newcomer, even I understand the need for the occasional boost to make the public remember your name; still, it seems highly inappropriate to spread a rumor that could be damaging to the career and reputation of a fellow actor. I am embarrassed to admit that I believed the rumor, along with many others… not that I claim any special knowledge about Tsuruga Ren or anything like that. It's just that I have worked with him rather often lately. I am almost too ashamed to speak with him when he returns next week._

_I am happy to say that my cold has finally lifted. Perhaps I was only exhausted. It is odd, sometimes, how an ailment can make you feel as if life wasn't really worth living anymore. Oh well, I am better now._

_Please understand why I can't accept your ticket. I wrote straightaway so that you could get a refund before it is too late._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-chan,<em>

_There is no need for you to apologize to me for misunderstanding Tsuruga Ren. I also believed that he was engaged. After all, __Liem __Hùifang is a stunningly beautiful woman and any man would fall in love with her. I sometimes wish that I was that beautiful. Anyway, what I meant was that there is no reason to specifically apologize to me. If you still feel guilty and you feel compelled to apologize, then shouldn't you do so to Tsuruga Ren himself? Why apologize to me?_

_I guess that it is only fair that I answer your exposition of last week as well as this week. Last week you wrote to me about your greatest heartache. I never knew that you had never been in-love. I guess that this makes sense, since you are my age and I haven't truly known love either. Still, the heartache that you did describe sounded incredibly painful. To have the public misjudge you and to have them spurn you just because of a character that you played; that seems preposterous! I never experienced that, but during my school years I was often misjudged and ridiculed unfairly, so I think that I understand._

_I am glad that you wrote so quickly this week. I honestly didn't know what to write about my "deepest fear," so your letter was a great help. I have never enjoyed (or endured) the type of press-attention that you describe, but I can definitely see how it would have been overwhelming for a small child. To have been accidentally separated from both your mother and your manager, and then to be surrounded by the relentless flashes and shouted questions from Paparazzi must have been terrifying. _

_Thank you for always being so open and honest with me. I don't know what I would do if I did not have your letters to help me to be as honest with Tsuruga Ren. Actually, I had asked Takarada-shacho to allow me to stop, or to change the person I wrote to. He refused to allow it. Now I have to write to Tsuruga Ren even though I feel foolish and guilty for congratulating him on his engagement. Do you think that he will be angry with me?_

_What do you suppose that Moko-san writes to Hiou? She won't tell me and she becomes testy whenever we tease her about it. I thought it was so cute when Hiou sent her that bouquet of roses. She pretended to throw them out, but I saw her carrying the flowers to her car that same night (don't tell her that I said anything)._

_I have to close this now. I am being summoned to the President's office again._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Tsuruga-semp<em>_ai,_

_I wanted to write "dear friend," but I am too mortified about what I wrote in my previous letter. I was too sick to take phone calls for three days, and, though I received your return letter, I did not open it until yesterday. Now I feel ashamed, especially after seeing your interview. I sincerely hope that you will forgive me for believing rumors. You are right: as friends, I should have trusted you to tell me if anything like that were true. If you no longer wish to be my friend, I will understand… though I hope that this is not the case._

_Guess what? You are not the only one who will be travelling soon. Hizuri Kuu, the man I call "Otou-san," sent me a ticket to come and visit him and his wife in California! At first I turned his offer down, stating that I was too busy. But Takarada-shacho called me into his office and told me that I would start vacation on Monday, and that he expected me to accept Otou-san's offer. That isn't all: Hizuri Julie, the famous model, actress, and designer, personally phoned me while I was in the President's office! She was so kind to me and she also insisted that I go. Can you believe it? I wonder if she is as beautiful as she looks in the magazines? So on Monday I am going to the airport and flying to California._

_I have to apologize to you because that means that I will not be able to act as your younger sister for the first week of your return to Tokyo. Please be careful and don't allow yourself to get hurt? Also, please eat properly. Are you eating properly now? Should I call Yashiro-san and ask?_

_The topic from last week was "Your biggest heartbreak." When I first read this topic I naturally thought what happened between… that person… and I. Now, strangely, what happened doesn't seem to matter as much any more. I can't really explain, but now I feel, well, almost glad that things turned out the way that they did. If he hadn't been so cruel, then I would never have begun acting. I would never have met Moko-san, or Chiori-san, or Maria, or so many others. I would never have met you… not that [a sentence here is blotted out] Sorry, I slipped and spilled something. What I wrote wasn't important anyway. But anyway, I realize now that I should be thankful for what happened. Does that sound strange?_

_The topic for this week is "Your deepest fear." I suppose that what I just wrote lines up with this topic. Please don't think me silly? I am sometimes afraid that someday all of the people who have been so kind to me will become like my mother. I am afraid that someday everyone will turn their backs on me and I will be alone again. [An entire section, possibly two or three sentences, is blotted out and illegible]. I'm sorry for blotting out the last few lines. I wrote something ridiculous and presumptuous. It wasn't important._

_So, my sempai, my pretend-brother, and my friend, I hope that you will forgive me for my previous letter. I know that I don't deserve it, but I would be sad if my foolishness caused you to turn your back on me._

_I will close this letter now. I must still be fighting a little of my sickness, since I seem to be writing foolish things. Please take care of yourself in Taiwan. If you reply to this letter, please send it to the address I included. Can you believe that I am flying to California!_

_Sincerely, Your friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	9. Ninth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 9**

_Dear Friend,_

_Thank you so much for forgiving my… misunderstanding. But it wasn't truly necessary to state your [several words were written and hastily scratched out here] promise in such… strong words. You told me once that you hadn't learned Kanji very well, so perhaps you weren't aware that some of the words you chose held greater meaning than you intended. Words such as "cherish," "protect," "forever," and "devoted" have many nuances that might not have exactly the same meaning in other languages. Had anyone intercepted this letter without knowing our sempai/kohai relationship, they might have completely misinterpreted your intent. Perhaps it would have been better simply to say "I am your friend. I forgive your many inadequacies, and I wouldn't abandon you." _

_Nevertheless, I thank you so much for your professions of friendship. Although I didn't share my deepest fear with the intent of seeking such a response, it is so nice to know that you consider me such a close friend._

_It is wonderful here in California! Otou-san sent William, the butler, to pick me up at the airport because he is too recognizable, but he and his wife were actually waiting for me at the front of their mansion. Tsuruga-san, Julie Hizuri is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen! If somebody had told me that she was the Queen of the Faeries, I would absolutely believe him! I know that you probably know this already, but Julie-san (she told me to call her either that or "Okaa-san," so for this letter I will use her name) was a supermodel and an actress. Now she focuses her time on charity and on her own line of clothing. She is so graceful, and kind, and ethereal that she almost doesn't seem real._

_But she _is_ real! You would think that somebody so perfect wouldn't even want to speak with someone like me, but she hugged me the moment that she met me, and she speaks as if I were her own daughter. She sits and talks with me, teases me, and insists on taking me shopping… She is a little like you because she keeps insisting on buying me things and she won't take "no" for an answer. But Okaa-san (I love calling her that. It is almost as if she was my true mother!) does have one flaw: she shouldn't cook. I don't mean to insult her, and I beg you, if you ever meet her please don't tell her what I wrote, but Julie-san shouldn't ever step foot in a kitchen. Didn't you once tell me that your mother couldn't cook?_

_Do you remember when I told you about Hizuri Kuu's unusual ways? Otou-san is even more unusual in his own home. He seems like such a dignified man in all his interviews, but alone, in his own home, he is like a little kid. He likes to joke and laugh and tease. Oh! And he is absolutely and totally in love with his wife. I suppose that it shouldn't be surprising, considering how beautiful and wonderful Julie-san is, but I am still amazed at how completely in love Otou-san is with her. It makes me wish [a sentence is blotted out] It makes me wish that some things were different. I suppose that some things are impossible._

_The strangest thing happened on the first day that I was here. You remember that I wrote about the Hizuri's missing son, Kuon? I suppose that I thought that he never spoke with them. Well, after I went to bed I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to walk down to the library. They have a huge library with a lot of books about acting and theater. I walked down and accidentally overheard Julie-san talking on the phone and she said his name. I wonder if I will have the chance to meet him? I hope so._

_On Tuesday the Hizuris are taking me to a society gathering at the house of one of their dear friends, the Nickleby's. I guess that Mr. Nickleby is a famous director. Otou-san tells me that they have several children around my age. One of them, I think that his name is Samuel, actually has copies of Box R. Otou-san said that he is especially enthusiastic to meet me. Supposedly, he is very impressed with my acting! Can you believe that? Anyway, I am sure that he will be disappointed when he finds out that I am nothing like Natsu._

_I don't have a topic for this week or next week. Takarada-shachou insists that I must continue writing, but that I don't have to worry about any topics until I return to Japan. Is everything going well for you in Taiwan? Please take care of yourself and please eat properly,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san,<em>

_I was pleased to receive your letter, even though it wasn't necessary during my vacation. Still, it was nice to find your letter waiting for me after I returned from the garden party I was attending._

_Actually, the term "garden party" completely fails to describe the enormity of the party that I attended at the Nickleby estate. To begin with, their estate covers over one-hundred acres and consists of multiple buildings, including a mansion, a twelve-car garage, horse stables, and several servant's cottages that are larger than most homes I've seen in Japan. The garden is actually an acre of beautifully sculpted hedges encircled by pebbled pathways. There is a large fountain in the center of the garden with marble sculptures of the Vestal Virgins in different poses. _

_The people were gathered in this area. There were people from every part of the Hollywood entertainment industry there; some were almost as eccentric as our beloved president. I have never truly paid attention to U.S. movies, except for the ones Otou-san was in, so I didn't know anyone by name, but some did look very familiar. Everyone was so beautiful and perfect that it made me feel even more plain than usual. Still, the Hizuri's treated me like their own daughter, introducing me to many people. I tried not to embarrass them, so I had to pull upon all of my childhood training. I hope that I didn't make the Hizuris look bad._

_I wish that you and Moko-san could meet Hizuri Julie. She is the most beautiful and kindest person I have ever met. I was so scared to meet her because I have never spoken to her before, but she has been so hospitable and wonderful! Do you remember when we talked about their son? We must have misunderstood the situation, because he phones his mother and father every day. I'm pleased to know that they haven't lost him. I wonder if he is as wonderful as his parents?_

_I wasn't really surprised about your "Guilty Pleasure." Moko-san and I have often seen you writing in one of your notebooks, so I always thought that you might write a novel, or even a movie script. Will you ever allow us to read it? Your letters are always so well-written, so I am positive that you would do well._

_Oh, I have a phone call from Tsuruga-sempai. I will close my letter here so that I can get it mailed tonight._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Moko-san,<em>

_Thanks for your letter. It came as a very pleasant surprise. Please don't worry, everything is fine here and the Hizuri's are a wonderfully hospitable couple. They are not the type of people to take advantage of me, so it honestly isn't necessary to write so many warnings. Still, you are my best friend and it makes me so happy that you were worried about me._

_I don't understand why you still don't trust Tsuruga Ren. He announced to the entire world that the "engagement" was not real. Besides, I still don't understand your odd insistence that he owes me any explanation. He is my wise sempai and my friend. I assure you that he will never look at me in the way that you suggest. Still, I am oddly pleased that he isn't marrying someone from another country. What if he had decided to move there? I still have so much that I want to learn from him._

_Anyway, he phoned me last night, which was unexpected. He must not have been busy because he kept me talking until I couldn't keep my eyes open. He was very interested in my stay with the Hizuri's, but he was the most interested in the people I met at the garden party who were my own age (please have Chiori-san share with you about the garden party. I have to keep this letter short because we are driving to Sea World in about fifteen minutes). I posted my required letter to Tsuruga Ren on the day I arrived and William-san, the butler, must have sent it express because Tsuruga-san had already received it when he called. _

_I think he must have already met the son of the people who threw the party, because he asked a lot of questions about him. Samuel Nickleby was a nice young man, but he seemed a bit forward in his mannerisms. I supposed that Americans are just different in that respect. You and Tsuruga-san are a lot alike because he kept warning me about this man and that man… I wonder how he knows so much about them?_

_It looks like I need to close this letter. William-san just informed me that the Hizuri's are ready to go,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>Before anyone tells me about it: Yes, I know that Ren only told Bo about his issue with Kanji vs. Hiragana. In this story, Kyoko was so flummoxed by Ren's very personal assurances that she has completely forgotten how she came by that information.

I don't plan on having notes after most of these letters, so I will thank everyone now for your wonderful response to my idea. I truly appreciate your reviews.


	10. Tenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 10**

_Dear Ren,_

_I will surrender to your persistent insistence, while I am here in America, and call you by your given name; though I still think it is inappropriate to address my sempai in this manner. Of course it also seems silly to be writing you a letter today when we just talked for more than an hour yesterday and you told me to expect another call tonight. As to the issue of using given names: Once again, I only called Tiffany, Gabriel, Maria, and Samuel by their given names because that is how they do things here in America. They thought me silly and foolish when I tried to add honorifics, or when I tried to use their family names. So now I will surrender to your insistence (or should I say pouting) and address you in the same way, though it does not seem right for me to do so (how do you manage to give me Cain's puppy-dog face over the phone? It isn't fair!). _

_Nevertheless, I don't think that it would be a good idea if I continued in that practice when I return to Japan. It would seem so… ["personal" crossed out] ["intimate" scribbled out and barely legible] inappropriate._

_And no, I still can't recall the specific instance when you told me that you had a problem with Kanji. Perhaps I only read it somewhere. Perhaps Yashiro told me. Maybe I am mistaken altogether and never heard such a thing at all. Please forget that I ever mentioned it. I'm sure that you read Kanji perfectly well._

_Do you really think that I am a too formal? Okaa-san tells me that I need to learn to relax. That is most likely a byproduct of being raised up to be an Okami-san someday. Please notice that I can write about the Fuwa's without brooding now. Okaa-san, being the wonderful mother that she is, helped me to put away that aspect of my past and to realize how grateful I should be; and I __**am**__ grateful to the couple who raised me. They were so kind to take in someone like me and to teach me life-skills, even if their ultimate goal now makes me cringe. In some ways they are like the Hizuri's, though the Hizuri's aren't trying to marry me off to their son (please don't get angry. You seem to become angry whenever I mention a certain someone, though I don't understand the reasons behind it)._

_Speaking of the Hizuri's son, another funny thing happened at the bar-b-cue party that Okaa-san and Otou-san threw today. Samuel, who seemed to be so friendly to me during our previous meetings, seemed to be avoiding me. Not just Samuel either; Gabriel, the son of the producer of Otou-san's last film also seemed to be acting odd. I felt as if I had done something wrong; or perhaps they simply lost interest in befriending me? It was Tiffany, Gabriel's sister, who finally talked to me. She said, "We had no idea that you were… close… to Kuon. The boys will be more careful now." Isn't that odd? Actually, she was acting sort of jealous, or skeptical. When I told her that I had never even met Hizuri Kuon, she asked, "then why did he call Samuel and…" Unfortunately, she didn't get to finish, because Samuel ran over and covered her mouth. He almost seemed… frightened. Unfortunately, nobody would explain what she was talking about._

_What do you suppose that it was all about? I can't imagine that they could be frightened of Otou-san's son. After all, how frightening could the child of Otou-san and Okaa-san be? I asked the Hizuri's about him again, but they kept telling me that I would find out everything "eventually." I suppose that I should just respect their wishes. Do you know, there doesn't seem to be a single photograph of their son in the entire house; isn't that odd? I was curious about this as I was wandering around one day, so I asked Rachel, the head housekeeper. She acted oddly for a moment, but then simply replied, "I'm sure that they will be put out whenever the Master or Mistress decides." She wasn't unfriendly, but she did seem to make it clear, by her tone, that I shouldn't ask any further. So the mystery continues. You lived in America for a while, right? Do you know anything about Hizuri Kuon?_

_Tomorrow the Hizuris are both taking the day off and we are going to go to Disneyland! They have been so gracious to take so much time off for me, and now they are taking me to "the greatest place on Earth," just as if we were a true family. I am going to miss them so much when I leave._

_I will close now. This letter should reach you at just about the time that you return to Japan, since Williams insists on sending everything by priority mail (rich people do things differently, don't they). I hope that all went well and I wish that I could be on-hand to welcome you back to Japan._

_Sincerely,_

_Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Moko-san,<em>

_I think that you are just being paranoid. There is no reason to suppose that the Hizuri's are intentionally hiding anything from me specifically. The mystery of their son's whereabouts has been going on for almost seven years, long before I met Otou-san, so my presence here can have nothing to do with it. Still, I admit that it does seem odd that there is not a single photo album, or even photograph or Kuon anywhere in the house._

_I asked Otou-san about this one day and he became all fidgety. He is such a doting father that I assumed that he could hardly wait to show off pictures of his son… but he only stammered. Then Okaa-san gave him an odd look before telling me that everything had been put away for "safety." You don't suppose that Kuon is in trouble with the law, do you?_

_I wanted to look it up on the Hizuri's computer, but decided not to out of respect for their silence on the subject. I also thought about going down to the local library and using their computers… but I am reluctant to go behind their back as well. I told you about how the young people at the bar-b-cue reacted to that mysterious phone call; they almost seemed frightened. Well, actually, the boys seemed frightened, but the girls were almost acting jealous; though, jealous of what I do not know. It is probably only my overactive imagination._

_On a more important note: Tsuruga-sempai is __**still**__ trying to find out how I knew about his issue with Kanji! I can't believe that I made such a serious blunder! What if he figures out that I am Bo! Please don't laugh again, I don't think that there is anything wrong with him talking to a giant chicken, but he might be very angry if he discovers that he shared personal information with his talentless kohai! What if he doesn't want to speak with me ever again!_

_I trust you, as my best friend and close confidant, to NOT tease him about this while I am gone._

_I'm glad that Chiori-san was able to take a break from writing out of consideration for her grueling movie schedule, though I was honestly looking forward to her next letter. She is being amazingly forthright in her correspondence. How are your letters to Hiou coming along? Is he receiving them well?_

_Thank you for worrying about me. Please take care of yourself,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

_p.s. I don't see how you could make the jump from distrusting the Hizuri's to suspecting Tsuruga Ren. What can he possibly have to do with them? Just because he asked me to use his given name in my letters does not mean that he is plotting against me with people he barely even knows._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Maria-chan,<em>

_Do you like the postcard? The castle was smaller than I imagined, but it was still wonderful!. The princesses were all so beautiful! I saw younger girls all over the park dressed in similar costumes and I thought of you. You would look so perfect in a Cinderella dress! Sadly, I don't have enough money left over to purchase one for you. I would like it if you and I could go to Tokyo Disneyland after I am back in Japan,_

_Missing you, your Onee-san,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	11. Eleventh Letter  An urgent request

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 11**

_Dear Ren,_

_It appears that I will not be home in two days after all. I will have told you this by phone before you ever receive this letter, but I still feel the necessity to write it. I will explain my reasons in the following paragraph, but first I should explain why I will be delayed: I'm going to New York! Otou-san has to get back to work and Okaa-san has to prepare for a show in New York City. She was telling me all about what she does and then she suddenly became exited. Before she even asked me, she called Takarada-Shacho and asked him if another three day delay of my return could be arranged. He must have thought it was fine because he approved it immediately. So now, instead of getting on an airplane to fly to Vancouver, British Columbia (that is Canada, by the way) and then Tokyo tomorrow, I will be boarding an airplane for New York City tonight. I will now be home in five days._

_The reason I am writing this in a letter, even though I will most likely be speaking to you today by cell is that I am worried and because I don't know if I will be able to find the courage to make my request over the phone. Please forgive my presumption, Sempai. I know that it is not my place to tell you what to do, but I don't feel that I can sleep or think straight until I make this request: _

_**Please do not become Cain Heel until I return. **_

_I am not suggesting that you need me, or that I am able to help you in any way, but still… If you will…it's just that I am afraid of what might happen without Setsuka there._

_It is certainly rude of me to remind you of those times, and I still don't understand what happened myself. What I speak of is the incident after the near car accident and the time after your first fight scene with Murasami-san (not the sleeping thing, which we agreed not to speak of again). Tsuruga-sempai… friend… brother... I only want to be there for you in case… in case you need me. Please do not be offended?_

_So I ask, no, I beg with the utmost respect and deepest sincerity that you wait to return to that role until I also return._

_I am sending this out via overnight mail. If all goes well, it should reach Tokyo shortly after you arrive._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

_p.s If you wish to tease me about my paranoia afterward, I will try to bear up under the shame. But until then, please grant me that one small request._


	12. Twelth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 12**

_Dear Mr. Tsuruga Ren, (The following letter was never sent)_

_I feel that it is perfectly natural for me to worry about me "brother." It is not necessary for you to tease me in such a fashion. Need I remind you that my "brother" has many poor habits? He does not take care of his body though proper nutrition. He smokes. He works entirely too hard (though I do acknowledge that he is highly in-demand). He does not get enough sleep, and sometimes he seems to need… to have his "sister" nearby [the calligraphy seems a little erratic here]… when he has had a bad day._

_I am not suggesting that you are dependent upon me… or that, as you suggested, I am worried that you will find another "sister." I was only worried that [whatever was written thereafter was too scribbled-out to be legible]. I simply asked that you wait. If you do not choose to do so, then I will not bother you any further. Good day!_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Friend, (this letter was sent)<em>

_I choose not to respond to your teasing and will pretend, hereafter, that no further words were spoken on the subject. You may choose to do as you wish and I am confident that everything will be fine when I return to Tokyo._

_Okaa-san is absolutely wonderful! As soon as we arrived in New York she was surrounded by famous people such as designers, retailers, and fashion magazine reporters. I intended to make myself as invisible as possible so that I wouldn't embarrass her, but she insisted that I remain by her side and she introduced me to everyone as her "protégé." That was embarrassing, of course, since I am not a fashion designer, nor a model, nor in any way suited for such pursuits. Nevertheless, she must have anticipated her reception because she had already dressed me in one of her newest designs. It fit me perfectly, though I still feel that it would have been more appropriate to have a model show off her design first._

_After several conferences, we escaped from the press of people and she took me shopping. Despite my protests, she insisted on having me try on dress after dress, and then she chose her favorite ten outfits and she insisted on paying for them. I don't know what to do about that because I don't know how I can ever pay back even a portion of the cost. The thing is that she gave me the same sad puppy-dog look that you gave me as Cain when you wanted me to choose several outfits. Are you sure that the two of you aren't related?_

_After shopping we went back to the Waldorf-Astoria, a stunningly beautiful older hotel in downtown New York City. Julie-san fit the hotel perfectly, but I felt like a fraud. We ate in the hotel restaurant. I know that it seems silly, but for just a while I pretended to be an Ojou-sama, or perhaps even a princess. I had the most perfectly prepared salmon that I have ever enjoyed. Okaa-sama had a steak that looked like it should have been dipped in gold. Of course, after seeing the prices perhaps it should have been._

_We spent the remainder of the evening with her crew, putting last-minute touches on her new line, meeting with the models, and talking with the sponsors. The show will be tomorrow and I feel as nervous as if it was my line of clothing that was to be presented. Okaa-san didn't seem nervous at all, of course. _

_Is it wrong of me that I pretend that she truly is my mother, even for a little while? She is so beautiful, so graceful, so kind, and so very wonderful to me that I can't help but wish. It makes me feel sad just to think that I will be flying away soon._

_**ooOoo**_

_It is morning now. I meant to send this letter last night, but now I'm glad that I didn't. So much has happened this morning. We woke early and went to breakfast at a tiny little restaurant that I wouldn't have ever known about if it weren't for Okaa-san. It turns out that the restaurant owners have been friends with Julie-san's family since she was little. The lady, Susan Wilson, went to elementary school with Julie-san and is even the godmother of the Hizuri's son, Kuon. And that is why I saw it!_

_Ren-san, you will never believe this! In truth, I still can't believe it or understand it… but pictures don't lie: Hizuri Kuon __**is**__ my Corn! At least, from the picture that is sitting on the Wilson's mantle, he looks exactly like the boy that I met so many years ago in Kyoto. It doesn't make any sense, really, but I have to find out more._

_Okaa-san, who is normally very forthcoming, seemed to clam up as soon as I reacted. She seemed very startled when I told her the story of my childhood, but all she said was, "Oh! That explains why he…" But she wouldn't say anymore, nor would she allow the Wilsons to say anymore._

_Do you suppose that their son Kuon knows who I am, but just doesn't want to meet with me again? He was so kind to me at the time, but perhaps he is so disappointed in what I've become that he has decided to never meet me again. I hope that isn't true. It makes me feel sad to think that I am an embarrassment to him. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised at this._

_I felt excited when I started writing this, but now I only feel sad. But don't worry, I know that I have to support Okaa-san in her show today, so I won't let my feelings show. To paraphrase your own words… "even if your childhood friend chooses to reject you, you can never let is show when you have a job to do!"_

_I apologize for burdening you with this. Tonight we probably won't be able to talk on the phone, since the fashion show will be followed by other meetings and a party. By the time you receive this I will most certainly overcome this rejection and be ready to perform my duties as a true professional._

_Your humble kohai,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Moko-san,<em>

_This is a post-card of the Waldorf-Astoria, where I spent last night and where we will also stay tonight. Isn't it the most beautiful hotel you've ever seen? I feel like I am in a magical castle!_

_Can I stay the night with you when I return? Something odd happened and I desperately need a friend to talk to about it. I'm sorry for being cryptic, but I promise to explain when I get there. Is Chiori-san back from her trip? If you want, you can invite her as well._

_Your friend,_

_Kyoko_


	13. 13th LetterThe vague phone text msg

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 13 – The Vague Phone-Text Message**

**FROM: N1BF***  
><strong>MOKO-SAN. WONT ARR TKY AS SCHED. SRPRISE CHNG OF PLANS IN AMSTRDM. WLL EXPLN LTR. WLL CALL WTH NEW ARR TM SOON. KYOKO.<strong>

*"N1BF_ is short for Number 1 Best Friend. This "name" appears on Kotonami Kanae's cell-screen whenever Kyoko sends a text. Originally it said "Number One Weirdo," but Kyoko saw that on Kanae's phone one day and Kanae quickly changed it to prevent the hurt that she saw in Kyoko's eyes. Kanae only replaced it with "N1BF" to please Kyoko, and she cringes at the sappiness of it. She intends to change it soon, but she never seems to get around to it._


	14. Fourteenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 14**

_Dear Corn,_

_Thank you so very much for your letter. I still find it almost impossible to believe that you have found me and that you wrote to me. I was surprised when the stunningly beautiful Dutch couple, Dieter and Lisle walked up to me in the airport at Amsterdam and handed me your letter… are you sure they aren't faeries? They told me that they are models, and they are certainly beautiful enough. It would be more fun to believe that they are faeries. I was stunned when the man told me that the envelope he had handed me was from "Your friend, Corn." _

_I must have had an odd look on my face, because the beautiful Lisle giggled and hugged me. They led me to an empty table and turned to look at the airport crowds while I read your letter. How did you know that I was feeling sad? Have you truly been watching over me from nearby for two years?_

_Please forgive me for doubting you. I should have realized that there were reasons that you needed to keep your identity a secret. I didn't really understand the part in your letter where you wrote "I am not what you thought I was when you were a little girl, but I hope that I am still, and will always be your friend." Of course I still consider you my friend! You were the kindest, sweetest, and most wonderful friend of my childhood, even though I only knew you for ten days. I always remember you fondly and I think of you often. I was a child then, so I am not offended that you allowed me to believe that you were a faerie prince. Then again, I suppose that having Hizuri Kuu and Julie as your parents would be like living in a faerie world. And please do not worry: I understand that the Hizuri's knew nothing about our childhood acquaintence, so they couldn't have known that I knew you then. As to your other secret, the one that you can't tell me yet: I will continue to believe and trust you and I will wait. As you wrote, you have your reasons._

_Did you know that I still have the magical stone that you gave me on the day you left? It is my most-treasured possession. Even though you tell me that you are not really a faerie, the stone you gave me is still magical. It has helped to take away my sorrow and pain many, many times._

_You probably already know this, but I have started acting. I am not that good, but I love acting. It is allowing me to learn more about myself and about others so that someday I might become the person I truly want to be. Most of the roles I have played are bad girl/bully roles. I was unhappy about this at first, but Otou-san (That is what Hizuri Kuu asked me to call him. He isn't really my father, but I wish he was. We met in Tokyo when I worked for him and he sort-of adopted me. Actually, it was because I pretended to be you for one day) told me that I was being arrogant to think that a new actress like me could turn my nose up at roles. Now I am glad, because I am learning so much from each character I play. Still, I hope to get a different type of role soon._

_I have friends now too; wonderful, caring friends who put up with me and support me even when I don't deserve it. My best friend is Kotonami Kanae. She is a beautiful actress who will one day be the best actress in Japan, if not the world. She has an amazing memory and can memorize an entire script in mere minutes. I have another young friend, Takarada Maria. She only 9, but she has already had a rough life, having lost her mom and been practically abandoned by her father. Her grandfather, my company president, is her grandfather and he takes care of her. Another friend is Amamiya Chiori. She acts in a television series with me. At first she didn't like me, but something changed and now we are good friends. She works for another agency, but somehow she ended up working for the LoveMe section in my agency. She said that she volunteered, but that makes no sense. Why would anyone volunteer to wear the ugly pink jumpsuit?_

_I suppose that I should explain. You said in your letter that you have been nearby and that you are proud of me. If you are proud of me, then perhaps you don't know the whole story. It is only fair that you should know everything; even if that means that you might change your mind about me. Do you remember the boy I told you about when you were in the faerie clearing with me; my Prince? Well, I was stupid and foolish, because he was no prince. When we turned fifteen, the boy, Fuwa Shotaro, asked me to go with him to Tokyo. He is a musician who you've probably heard of? I thought he cared about me, so I foolishly agreed. I know that sounds terribly inappropriate, but I promise you that nothing of that nature ever took place. We were friends… at least, I thought so._

_One day I overheard him talking to his manager and I discovered everything was all a lie. He was only using me to support him while he got his start in music. He was just like my mother [Here the calligraphy was becoming more stiff and sloppy, instead of Kyoko's normally flowing hand]. I should never have allowed myself to believe that anyone could love me; I have learned better now. I swore off love forever and I swore that I would get revenge by becoming more famous than him, so I tried to become an actress. I know now that my motives were vile, and I am ashamed. Tsuruga-san was completely disgusted with me. I think he is still disgusted, but I am trying to show him that I have changed._

_I mentioned Tsuruga-san, so I suppose that I should explain about him to. Tsuruga Ren is the best actor in Japan. Somehow, though I don't understand how, he has become my mentor. It doesn't make sense, since he despised me and even hated me at first. Now he is kind and helpful; he even takes time out of his busy schedule to give me rides to and from work sometimes. Because of him I have given up the goal of getting even with Shotaro. Now my goal is to one day co-star with Tsuruga-sempai and have him tell me "well done." Of course, I realize that this may take years because he keeps getting better and I barely improve at all. But he does help me and give me advice at times. _

_I often thought that Tsuruga Ren is a lot like you would be when you grew up. He is very handsome (everybody agrees on this). He is extremely talented. He is also wonderfully kind, even to someone like me who does not deserve it. On the other hand, he knows exactly when to scold me and put me in my place. When I make a mistake, my sempai lets me know and guides me back to where I should be. Everyone thinks that he is the perfect gentleman, but I have seen his temper. It appears at the oddest times, and for some reason I often seem to make him angry; though I'm not sure exactly what I do that makes him angry. He also has horrible eating habits, but at least he allows me to help him with that from time-to-time. He is a good man; as good as any man I have ever known. He also has some sort of dark secret that haunts him terribly sometimes (I trust you not to share this with anyone else. I know that you never would). I want so much to do something for him in return for all that he does for me, but how can someone like me be of any help? Still, I try to help, and even though my efforts are useless, he is still kind to me. Sometimes I wish [Those first three words were scratched out, though still legible. The rest of the sentence was never completed]_

_Anyway, back to my explanation of the LoveMe Branch. Takarada Lory, the President of Lory's Majestic Entertainment (LME), hired me, but he made it conditional: I had to join the newly formed LoveMe Branch and work in whatever capacity was needed until I could regain my lost emotion of love. He is a wonderful person, but he has the oddest obsession with that emotion. I suppose that I will always be in that section because I don't suppose that I will ever trust love again. Even if I did allow myself to feel that way towards someone [the pen drifted here, as if Kyoko were deep in thought], that person could never feel the same for me. [note: the kanji "that" in this line seems to indicate a specific person rather than the general idea of a random person.]_

_I wanted to tell you that Dieter and Lisle did as you requested: They spent the day with me, taking me on a grand tour of Amsterdam. It is such a beautiful and magical place! We went to a cheese factory and a chocolate factory. We also went to Anne Frank's house. I cried as I heard the story again. How can anyone treat another person so cruelly? We took a boat trip on a canal, saw the windmills and the locks, and then we had a comfortable dinner together on the roof of Dieter and Lisle's houseboat. It was wonderful! Dieter loves to tell stories and Lisle loves to laugh. They seem so happy together that it made me want something like what they have [the pen drifted here, leaving a line that meandered off of the page]_

_Lisle has sparkly eyes when she laughs and smiles, which is most of the time. She seems to think that I will be as happy as her someday soon. She laughed when I said that nobody could love me in the way that Dieter loves her. She tried to say that somebody already does… at least I think that is what she said, though her English is not very good and neither of us speaks the other's native tongue. The language barrier was too much for me to explain, so I let it go. It is probably natural for someone like her, who is so happy with her circumstances, to believe that everyone else will also be blessed. How could I explain? [another meandering line]_

_I apologize for the sloppiness of my letter. I seem to keep drifting off. There are so many things that I wanted to tell you. Your letter was like medicine to my soul. I am so happy that you have started a new life out from under your father's wings. I know that you can be successful in anything that you try. Please, please send me more letters. I will write to you often, if it is not a burden. You were always the one person who I could tell anything to. I will use the post-office box that you told me about in your letter and I promise to write to you, just as you have requested. _

_I must close this letter now. My re-scheduled flight will depart in two hours, so Dieter and Lisle will drive me back to the airport soon. They have promised to get this letter to you as soon as possible. Thank you so much for everything today!_

_Please continue to watch over me. Your childhood friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	15. Fifteenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 15**

_Dear Friend,_

_It feels anticlimactic, and yet comforting, to be writing this letter in the middle of the night while you are sleeping not ten feet away. I hope this doesn't sound inappropriate, but it seems right and proper that we should be together like this. Is this what it feels like to be brother and sister? To travel together; to share meals together; to have this adventure together; is this what siblings do? I never had either brother or sister, so I could only imagine as I watched other siblings._

_I should admit that I was less-than-thrilled at the prospect of taking another trip as soon as I returned to Tokyo, but Takarada-Shacho had already cleared the way with my other commitments, so how could I object? As he explained, Cain needs me to stay with him and support him. I should also admit that I find Kobe to be an interesting place, so I truly don't mind._

_I thank you once again for waiting to act as Cain Heel until I could return. I also thank you for not teasing me anymore about that request. It is difficult to explain my reasons, but it seemed very important at the time I made the request. I do not presume to be of any use to you in this character, yet I still feel that Setsu should be there whenever Cain is present. She is his support._

_On that note, however, I do feel that I should say something about… these sleeping arrangements. I __**do**__ understand that you might have been experiencing difficulty of some kind on the first night of filming, and that is the reason that you needed your only family... close [the calligraphy in this paragraph becomes increasingly sloppy as it continues]. It was for that reason that I did not object to [the words "cuddling," "comforting," and "laying with" are crossed out here, yet still slightly visible] sleeping in close proximity with you. I assumed, however, that this was a one-time thing. Tonight, therefore, was unexpected. I truly do appreciate that when you are in-character you are acting as my doting brother who missed his sister, but is it really appropriate for us to continue this… habit?_

_For tonight I was [the word "happy" is crossed out] willing to help you sleep, but I am not sure that we should continue this practice. A girl is much different than a teddy bear… or a piece of driftwood. I thought it was Setsu who had the brother complex, not Cain who had a sister complex. What would people think if they knew?_

_Anyway, I am glad that you are sleeping now and that I can sit here to compose this letter. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big day of filming, so this might be my only opportunity. Besides which, I still seem to be on California time in my sleep-schedule._

_Now that I am back, the President has given me a new topic-of-the-week. Our topic this week is our most-important possession._

_I hope that you will forgive me when I tell you that my most-important possession is a blue stone that was given to me in my childhood. I know that the gift that you gave me on my seventeenth birthday was more valuable (yes, I am still not happy with the way that you tricked me into accepting such a valuable crystal. The story was wonderful, and I value Princess Rosa's Tear greatly, but you should not have spent so much money). It is not surprising that the gift that you gave me has become so famous. Isn't it odd that people would go crazy over the hand-crafted pendant of a minor character in a weekly drama? Still, my blue stone, "Corn," is my most important possession._

_You might remember the blue stone I speak of: it was the one that I accidentally dropped down the stairwell… and I offered to let you use it once when you seemed sad. That stone was given to me by a very important friend from my childhood. It was not that other person whose very name seems to make you angry. Instead it was a boy who I only knew for a short time when I was only six. He was kind and wonderful to me, and he left me the stone when he had to leave._

_You will probably find this silly, but it is a magical stone, at least for me. I carry it with me always and when I am very sad I feel better just by holding it. Recently I found out that the person who gave me the stone is still alive. He sent me a letter not long ago! Please don't ask me anymore about that… I probably shouldn't have written that much; but I know that I can trust you to keep the secret._

_I should wrap this letter up now. Morning will come swiftly and my eyes are rebelling. Good night, Tsuruga Ren._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san, [via phone-text]<em>

_I was so glad to see you again! I hope that your break was good and that you have returned to work ready to step in front of the camera and wow the world. I missed both you and Kanae. Do you think we should have a sleepover?_

_Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Moko-san, [alson phone-text]<em>

_Pls don't be angry at me. I am sorry that you didn't get my msg in time and ended up waiting at the airport. I am also sorry that I can't explain what happened in-detail; it is not my secret to keep or tell. All that I can tell you is that someone from my childhood miraculously got in contact with me and arranged for a special tour of Amsterdam._

_If I am ever allowed to divulge that person's secret, I promise that you will be the first to hear everything._

_Your friend,_

_Kyoko_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>HELP! I wanted to make Kyoko's bucket list the subject of the next letter, but quickly found that I couldn't come up with ten ideas that were pure-Kyoko. I need your suggestions!


	16. Sixteenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 16**

_Dear Friend,_

_Once again, I am writing this from our hotel room in Kobe. Tomorrow afternoon we head home, and I am glad. I will be even more pleased when this film is in the can*. It is not that I haven't [the word "enjoyed" shows signs that Kyoko intended to cross it out, but then stopped] working as your sister… I honestly have. Please believe me?_

_Please forgive me if I am interfering where I have no business, but I hate what this movie is doing to you. Every day that you play Striker, you seem to sink deeper into some sort of personal darkness, and I don't know what to do to help you. The problem is that I am not a good enough. I should confess that several weeks before flying to California, I called Takarada-Shacho to talk to him about what is happening to you. He told me that all I needed to do was be there for you, supporting you. But what I am doing doesn't seem to be enough._

_I thank you for supporting my concerns about… the sleeping arrangements, but I have [the writing here becomes more erratic] decided that perhaps, if it helps you, if that is what you need, then I will… return to the other arrangement. When I finish this letter… I will resume my place… Anyway, you will understand when you awake and find me close to you. Please understand that I am only doing this to support you. I am not like those crazed fan-girls who constantly throw themselves in your path. I am a pure and innocent Japanese maiden who is simply seeking to lend comfort to a suffering friend! That is all!_

_Please, Sempai, I know it is not my place, but please talk to me? What is the darkness that threatens to consume you when you act in this role? I do not like playing bully roles, but it doesn't affect me in the way that it is affecting you. It seems almost as if something is hurting you. I know that I am unworthy, but please talk to me and let me help? [the page is crinkled here, as if liquid fell in drops on the page and was hastily wiped up. Several of the calligraphy characters are also slightly smeared]_

_[This next part resumes Kyoko's normal, elegant writing style, indicating that she left the letter and returned to it later, after she had regained her composure]_

_This week our topic is Our Bucket List. You probably know this, but a bucket list is a list of things or achievements that a person wishes to complete before she dies. It sounded like a fun idea, but I found it much harder to complete than I expected. You were wondering why I was sitting and scribbling so furiously in the corner of the studio today, so now you know: I was trying to write my list. Some of it feels selfish, some of it seems presumptuous or impossible, but here are the ten things I hope to accomplish before I die:_

_**My Bucket-List**_

**To become an real actress**

_Someday I hope to leave behind my amateur status and truly become an actress who is worthy of note. I wish to star in as many roles as possible in as many different genres as possible. As I mentioned once, I hope to somehow find my true self in these roles. I don't know if this will ever happen, as I seem to be stuck in bad-girl bully roles, but I will continue to try. You, as my sempai, have taught me the true joy of acting, and I can't imagine pursuing a different career than this._

**To co-star in a movie or drama with Tsuruga Ren**

_If I ever achieve my first goal, then perhaps this second goal will be possible: I want to act with you as a co-lead without making you disappointed, disgusted, or annoyed. This is the only way that I will be able to justify all of the hard work you have poured into me as my sempai. Please don't laugh. I know that I have a long journey to travel before I am worthy of this honor, but I promise to work long and tirelessly to make myself worthy. So please don't do anything like move away and become a huge Hollywood megastar like Otou-san? Forgive me, I shouldn't ask such things, but I refuse to strike those words out. It is my dream to earn the right to be your co-star._

**To become somebody who Otou-san, Okaa-san, and all my friends can be proud of**

_I know that the Hizuri's are not my parents, but they made me feel that I was their special daughter when I was in their home. Perhaps they do this with everyone? They certainly seem to have the capacity for caring for many people. They truly are wonderful! So that is my third goal: Someday I would like to make them proud of me. Perhaps it is only a dream, but I long to have them speak about me in the way that Otou-san speaks of his son, Kuon. Is this even possible, since I couldn't ever make my own mother proud?_

_Also my friends: it cannot be easy for you, or Kanae-san, or Chiori-san, or others to think of me as your friend when I have so many flaws. I would like to become a person who you would be proud to be seen with._

**To graduate from the LoveMe Section with Kanae-san and Chiori-san**

_I do not know that this will ever happen for me, though, since Takarada-shacho put me into the LoveMe Section to regain my lost emotion… but how can that ever be possible? The emotion that he speaks of only leads to hurt and anguish. Isn't it better not to chase something that causes such pain? Still, seeing the way that the Okami-san and Taisho, and Otou-san and Okaa-san love each other… but perhaps that is for other people. I will be content to believe that such pure feeling is out there, and that I might catch a glimpse of it from time-to-time. Kanae-san claims to hate family, but the truth is that she is always taking care of and worried about her family. Chiori-san claims that she needs to re-learn a love of acting; yet she seems to love acting whenever we work together. Only I seem to be bereft of the necessary emotion._

**To see the world**

_This was my first time leaving the country, and it has lit a fire in me. I want to see many different places, meet many different people, and even learn more languages. You have starred in films from other countries. What was it like? I want to see all of the great landmarks. I want to act in foreign films. I want to be pen-pals with people from across the world (perhaps our President knew that letter-writing would be good for me. I feel almost free to share my thoughts on paper, so I may burden people with my letters for many years to come]_

**To pay back my debts**

_I owe so many people so much. Not just money, though I do owe that as well. But so many people, yourself included, have done so much for me over the past two years; and I feel that I must repay their many kindnesses, even if it takes me the rest of my life._

_But how can I do it? Consider yourself, for example: you have helped me in so many ways, from car rides to free advice. You have been my greatest support (please don't tell Moko-san I wrote this) and you gave me the courage to take on roles that were far beyond my present skill level. When I was being foolish, you scolded me. When I was crying and being weak, you held me (please don't misconstrue this. I am aware that you did this as a friend and that you have no deeper feelings for me). You have even helped me to maintain my character as Setsu, despite the fact that I was supposed to be here to support you._

**To complete a college degree**

I thought that I would be content just to finish high school, but after meeting the younger people while I was in California, I have begun to change my mind. Although I can't imagine how I would afford it, I would also like to attend college and complete a degree in film, as they are doing or have already done. I have always loved school and learning, though I didn't always like the other students. I will graduate from high school in two more months, so I will need to begin the college application process as soon as I can. I suppose that will make it more difficult to pay of my monetary debts, but I will work hard and find a way.

**To see my friends accomplish their dreams**

_Kotonami Kanae wants to be the best actress in Japan. I already think that she is great, but she wants the rest of Japan to recognize her and acknowledge her as the best. With that, of course, will come the best roles. I hope that I will be able to act with her again before she becomes too famous to be on the same set as someone like me. I will work hard so that neither she, nor you, leaves me behind. Chiori-san has been talking about exploring other pursuits within the entertainment world, such as directing, producing, and writing. I think that she would be a great writer, as she already writes all of the time… though she hasn't shared what she writes with us. What about you, Sempai? Since you are already so famous, are you content as you are, or do you have an even greater dream? If I can help in any way, please don't hesitate to ask._

**To be as happy as the Hizuri's**

_I mentioned this before, but there is something so wonderful and magical about the way that Otou-san and Okaa-san treat each other. When they are together, it seems like they can't bear to be out of each other's sight. When they are apart due to their work, which happens often, they call and email regularly. He holds her as if she is the most precious possession in the entire world. She looks at him as if he hung the stars in the sky. Even when Otou-san does something silly or over-the-top (which happens a lot), Okaa-san simply shakes her head and tousles his hair as if he is an unruly, adorable little boy. Is it wrong to want something like this for myself, even though I have vowed to spurn that emotion forever? Perhaps… only perhaps… I could reconsider. But then, how could any man look at me in the way that Kuu looks at Julie. She is perfect, and I am me._

**To play a princess in a movie**

_Please don't laugh. I needed one more goal, and though it is embarrassing to write about, I have to admit that this has always been one of my dreams. When I was little, I once met a boy who I thought was a real prince… well, a prince of the faerie kingdom (please remember, I asked you not to laugh). I recently found out that he wasn't a prince of the faeries, but in a way he is a prince, since his parents are like royalty. I also called another boy my prince, but he turned out to be lower than a frog. But despite all of that I have always wanted to be a princess. Kyoto, being the old capital, is full of castles. I always dreamed of living in one and wearing beautiful silk gowns as I helped the people. That will never happen, but it would be like a dream to be able to act as a princess, even if only once. I realize that this final goal is a selfish, childish goal, but it is my dream nonetheless._

_Thank you for reading this. I feel bad about writing such a long letter and burdening you with the responsibility of reading it. Please wait to read it until I am not nearby. It would be unkind for you to let me hear you laugh. As to what I wrote in the first part of this letter, please allow me to help. Please allow me to support you, in whatever small way that I am able._

_Your friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-san,<em>

_Please forgive me for taking so long to reply to your letter. I was on a trip which, for certain reasons, I was asked to keep confidential, so I couldn't post this until I arrived back in Japan. _

_I enjoyed reading your list. I honestly didn't think of writing things like "get my pilot's license," and "climb Mt. Everest." Perhaps I was thinking too simply. Still, I like my list, though it was embarrassing to allow Tsuruga Ren to read it._

_Speaking of embarrassing, I was flattered and embarrassed by your second goal, when you wrote that you wanted to become an actress of my caliber… surely you know that I am nowhere near you level? You are a veteran actress and highly talented, while I am merely a beginner. Nevertheless, you honor me. I hope that we will have many, many opportunities to act together in the future._

_Of course, that might not be possible if your third goal is successful. I never imagined you leaving acting in favor of directing, writing, or producing. Surely you don't mean to leave acting altogether, since that would conflict with your second goal, right? But if you do become a director and writer, then I hope that you will consider me for at least a minor role in one of your films… Would it be self-serving to mention that I always wanted to play a princess?_

_I'm glad that Moko-san is speaking to me again. I really hate keeping secrets from her, but the secrets I am keeping are not my own. I am honor-bound to guard the secrets of another person, even if this means that Moko-san thinks that I don't trust her. Perhaps, now that I am returned to Tokyo, we could all have a sleepover at your house? Your mother is so gracious and kind, and neither Kanei-san nor I have accommodations that would be comfortable for the three of us. I feel sorry for Moko-san now that her family has moved in on her again. For a while it looked like her older siblings would make-good, but now things have returned to normal. Then again, I can't feel too sorry, because I would rather have family than live alone._

_I will speak with you again tomorrow. Please consider my request,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear President,<em>

_Despite our previous phone call, I still feel that I need more information than has currently been provided to me. How can I be expected to support and protect Tsuruga Ren when I don't even understand what is happening?_

_I do know this: every day that he acts as the serial killer, he seems to lose more of himself. I am doing everything I can to support him, but I am not sure that it is a "sister" that he needs right now. Please, Sir, help me to help him? I am more and more worried about him with each passing day. Either he will collapse, or he will kill someone. One of the actors was already almost killed. I don't know what was happening, but I somehow think that I am involved. The man persisted in talking with me, and my "brother" did not like that._

_I will be filming for Box 'R all day tomorrow to make up for the delays caused while I was gone. In the evening I would appreciate it if I could come to your office so that we might speak?_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>Thank you to everyone for your suggestions for Kyoko's bucket list. They say great minds think alike (perhaps it is good that our do as well?); my original list matched most of yours, but I was worried that it sounded too contrived. Your suggestions helped me to regain my confidence as well as providing several ideas that I had overlooked.

*in-the-can is a term that means that the film is complete and the film is packaged, ready to be shipped to the theater.

On another note: for some reason, when I click on the reply URL that FF provides within the email, I keep getting error messages. I honestly intended to answer all your reviews this time, but have been unable to do so. Has anyone else experienced this problem?


	17. Seventeenth LetterRevisions

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 17**

_Dear Tsuruga-san,_

_As you have demanded most persistently, I have re-written __**my**__ bucket-list "without {my} constant self-deprecating comments." You will find said document attached._

_Good day,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

_p.s. As these are my letters, I do not see why I should not be allowed to attach __**my**__ thoughts. I do, however, acknowledge that a professional cannot communicate if she is constantly putting herself down. This was not my intention. I was merely acknowledging the superiority of others. I shall try to reform._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Corn,<em>

_I am so happy that your letter found me here in Tokyo! Although Amsterdam seemed like a magical dream, the fact that I haven't actually met you and the fact that I have only received that one letter made me fear that it was __**only**__ a dream._

_I realize that I was foolish, and I apologize if it seemed as if I did not believe in you. It is only that I so appreciate being able to talk to you and have you respond! This may sound foolish, but since you left I have told you a million things, which, of course, you never responded to. Yet somehow sharing my hopes and fears and pains and sorrow with you helped me to survive and endure. In my flights of fancy I imagined that you, being a faerie prince, could somehow hear me. Now I know that it wasn't true… and though I should feel foolish, and perhaps a little angry…_

_I know that it isn't fair to think ill of you when you were only trying to humor a little girl. I loved to dream of far-off, happy places where I would go someday. You probably remember why. I don't hold that against you, so please stop apologizing. But I do feel foolish about sending my words into the vapor in the hope that they would find you. And yet, I cannot regret all of the times that I held your blue stone and recited my woes… because it… you… always helped me._

_And because you have written half of a page __**insisting**__ that I communicate freely with you about everything, I will thank you and I will continue to do so._

_I need your advice. I am currently corresponding with my sempai, Tsuruga Ren, due to an assignment given to me from my talent company president, Takarada Lory. I was reluctant to write these letters at first, but he read each one carefully and even responded, so I began to enjoy the task._

_At the moment I am thinking of discontinuing the letters… which isn't possible, of course, since it is a mandatory assignment and I would only get in trouble. The problem is that Tsuruga Ren gave me back my last letter and scolded me for being too "self-deprecating." He said several nice things about me (out of kindness, of course) and then told me that a true professional actress can never succeed with my attitude. He said, specifically, "You have to learn to love yourself." But isn't that arrogance? (not that Tsuruga-sempai is arrogant, of course, I meant isn't it arrogant to love yourself?)._

_If I were to be totally honest, I do realize that I have a low self-esteem issue. Tsuruga-sempai is not the only person who has said this to me. Perhaps they are right. My mother never wanted me and I could never please her. My childhood prince… not you, but the jerk who was supposed to be my friend… threw me away like a smelly, used dish-rag. And until I joined LME I didn't have a friend in the world. Those things tend to hurt a person's self-esteem._

_Now I have a beautiful and talented best friend. I have another growing friendship with Amamiya Chiori. I know three pop-idols, the Ishibashi's, who are like brothers to me. I know the dearest little girl, the daughter of the company president, who calls me Onee-sama and who I love dearly. There are others who have also befriended me as well. And I have Tsuruga Ren as my sempai._

_I cannot explain it clearly because I do not understand, but it makes my insides hurt when he is angry at me. Even when I know that he is right… and he almost always is, it makes something hurt inside. More than anyone else I want his good opinion, and yet I always seem to make him angry. This is why I am seriously considering going to Takarada-shacho and begging him to rescind his assignment. If I don't write to him, I will have less opportunities to anger him._

_Please don't misunderstand: I don't blame him. I am sure that it is my fault, and I am trying to improve, but what if I improve too slow and he becomes so disgusted that he doesn't want to be my sempai anymore?_

_Can you tell me what you think of this? I crave your advice._

_Please take good care of yourself, wherever you are._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Kanae-san,<em>

_You start work later than I do today, so I will be gone by the time that you wake up and read this. Thank you for attending Chiori-san's sleepover and for hearing me out. I'm glad that you understand why I can't divulge the secret. I will always be just as careful with your secrets._

_I never want to do anything that will jeopardize our friendship. It is too important to me. So please, please don't refuse to talk to me again. _

_Oh, and congratulations on your new part! I know that we celebrated with your favorite ice-cream last night, but I still wanted to give you this special breakfast this morning. A good meal is important for the start of every day,_

_Gambatte!_

_Kyoko_

_p.s. Takarada-shacho texted our newest theme this morning and it is [an ink blot indicates that Kyoko hesitated too long with the pen nib touching the paper]… sorry for the messy letter, I am just a little apprehensive and embarrassed about the new theme: "The type of man I want to marry someday." That isn't the type of theme I want to write about to my sempai! Surely he'll laugh!_

_But our president included specific instructions: even if we don't believe that we will ever marry, we must still complete this theme "fully and honestly". What should we do? At least Chiori-san will be writing to another girl!_


	18. Eighteenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 18**

_Dear Tsuruga-Sempai,_

_I would prefer to address this letter properly, as you once insisted, to my "Dear Friend," but at the moment I am deeply ashamed after my previous actions towards you. I admit that I behaved poorly after you tried to encourage me to work on my low self-esteem problems. I should not have sent you that abrupt letter, nor should I have purposely avoided you for the next several days. I feel mortified by my childish actions._

_You were right: I spend entirely too much time putting myself down. You are not the only person who seems to feel that way either. Mo [scratched out] Kanae-chan and Chiori-chan have both told me the same thing. The friend from my childhood, the one I recently heard from again, also seems to agree. This should have been enough, but it took the dual-efforts of Otou-san and Okaa-san to finally make me understand._

_What Julie-san told me made the most sense. She told me that my mother probably had self-esteem issues that she projected onto me, and that I have believed a lie. Okaa-san made me list out everything that I considered to be the most important in a person, in a daughter, and in a friend. Then she pointed out that I had most of those traits (I can't help but feel that she might have exaggerated, but perhaps that is more of my bad habit speaking?). She told me that I would be shackled by my mother's words forever unless I chose to see myself as others (those closest to me) see me. She also told me that I would become like my mother if I didn't make a serious effort to change my bad habit._

_So you were right. I will make a sincere effort to see myself as others see me, and I will make a sincere effort to allow people like you, my wonderful sempai and friend, to help me. So please forgive me for my earlier stubbornness and please continue to be the wise and kind person who always tries to help and support me._

_Thank you, by the way, for what you said earlier today about already being proud of me. It meant a great deal to me even if I sort of hid from you for the rest of the day. I didn't know how to respond and I was so embarrassed by my previous actions that I needed time to think. Tomorrow I shall try to act normally again, I promise._

_The topic for the week is [Kyoko's writing loses its elegance here for the next few sentences] "The type of man I want to marry someday." First of all, as my friend and advisor, you are already aware of the fact that I don't ever expect to marry, due to my other issue. Nevertheless, I will fulfill this assignment to the best of my ability._

_The type of man I want to marry someday: I never knew my father, so I was not able to look to him for ideas in this; instead I have taken a look at the husbands that I do know. Truthfully, the only married men that I know well are Fuwa Chataro, Nisaki Daiichi (the Taisho of the Daruma-ya), and Hizuri Kuu. I will use each of these men to illustrate what I consider ideal._

_**Wisdom: **__I think that wisdom is important in life and in marriage. Fuwa Chataro and Taisho are both stern, taciturn men who say very little, but when they speak, they often show great wisdom. Hizuri Kuu often acts rather foolish in private, but when serious thought and sage advice is needed, he always surprises me. They say that wisdom comes with age, but working at a hotel, and then a restaurant, and also in the entertainment industry, I find that age does not necessarily guarantee wisdom. Sometimes wisdom comes early. You should understand this, since you have often given me wise counsel, even though you are still young._

_**Protection:**__ Although I don't like to think of us as the weaker sex, there is comfort in knowing that there is a strong man who would do anything to protect you. I cannot imagine any person being foolish enough to offer harm to the wives of these three men. Still, some might try; Okaa-san is so beautiful that there are men out there who might behave foolishly toward her. If that were to happen, then I know that Otou-san would quickly shed his friendly-jokester façade and become… frightening. I believe that there is a time for such a change… and it is nice to know that there is a person nearby who is more than able to protect himself and me. [there is a small ink-blot here, suggesting that Kyoko allowed her fountain pen to sit on the paper while deep in thought]_

_**Industry: **__For a man to be a worthy husband, he should be hard-working. The world is full of lazy people who do as they please, lay around on the couch watching comedy shows, and try to avoid hard work. But a husband has responsibilities that he should never shirk. I deeply admire each of the three men I described because they have worked hard throughout their adult lives. I cannot imagine any one of them lazing about or hiding from work. If I were to ever marry, I would want to marry someone who I could idolize as a man who uses his day well and who makes the most of every waking hour._

_**Devotion: **__This might sound odd coming from someone who has foresworn that other emotion forever, but when I think of each of the three men, I cannot help but think about the way that they adore and devote themselves to their wives. Hizuri Kuu, of course, is the most effusive and over-the-top in his actions toward Julie-san. I believe that he would spend every moment of his life with her, if he could. When I see the way that he looks at her sometimes, it makes something inside of me ache. Neither Fuwa Chataro nor Taisho are as demonstrative (I have to giggle at the image of Taisho acting like Otou-san. The image is too funny), but I have seen the same look on both of their faces as they look at their wives when they didn't think that anyone was looking. If I were ever married… [the rest of this sentence was left unfinished]_

_**A Good Father:**__ This is a little embarrassing to write about, but I suppose that it shouldn't be. One of the main reasons for marriage is to raise healthy and happy children. This is very personal with me. I never even knew my father. I also wouldn't want my children to have a father like Maria-chan's, who put his own grief over the loss of his wife as more important than his responsibilities toward his daughter. I cannot imagine any father who would not want to spend time with such a precious daughter. I realize that Otou-san is a little oyou-baka about his son, but I think that is better than to not care at all. Even though his son is not around (for some reason that I still can't decipher), Otou-san never stops thinking about him. I believe that the same is true with Fuwa Chataro; though father and son may have fought, I have to believe that he still loves him. [once again there is a drifting line across the page, suggesting that Kyoko was lost in thought]_

_Now that I truly think about it, I realize that the reason that I chose the three men as the ideal is that each of them, in their own way, has been like a father to me. Fuwa-san raised me when my father abandoned me. He taught me to cook and he taught me the value of hard work. Taisho, though he is my landlord and my former employer, has also given me strength and support. He is the reason that I stopped pitying myself and went back to LME after I failed the audition, and he has continued to push me and support me ever since. And as amazing as it all seems, Hizuri Kuu has all but adopted me. At first I thought he was only being kind or using me as a substitute for his missing son. Now I realize that he truly does treat me like his own dau… [The letter is smeared beyond legibility;probably from tears; making the remainder of what was written here illegible. The letter resumes on the next page]_

_I'm sorry for the mess that I made of this letter. I suppose that I became emotional as I finally realized that I have three fathers, all great men. If I ever had a husband, I would want him to be like them._

_[The calligraphy in the previous section was a little erratic, but it resumes here in Kyoko's usual graceful and flowing hand]_

_I intended to end my list last evening, but after the mess I made of it, I decided to take a break and spend the rest of the evening visiting with Moko-san (oops, please don't tell her that I used her nickname in this letter?). We talked about the issue of an ideal husband, and agreed that my list was good. For some reason, she felt that I should add one more trait. I listened to her and agreed about the importance of honesty, though I don't understand why she was so adamant that I include this in my letter:_

_**Honesty and Openness: **__To quote Kanae-san: "A person who keeps deep secrets can never be trusted." I think that her words are a little strong, so I will write this instead: Even if there are secrets that need to be kept from the rest of the world, I don't believe that a husband and wife should keep secrets from each other. There should be an important bond of trust that allows the couple to share everything about each other so that there are no misunderstandings later… and so that the other person can offer strength and support if needed. I have often observed that the three couples I mentioned seem to have deep secrets that are only shared with their spouse. It is as if there is one person in the world who knows the other so well that secrets are no longer necessary. I would like to be someone who my husband trusted so much that he was willing to reveal everything to me (obviously, this won't happen, but you can understand my meaning, right?)_

_Do you suppose that Moko-san has known someone who is keeping some deep, dark secret? Why else do you suppose that she would be so fixated on this issue? Surely Hiou-kun is too young to have any such secrets, right?_

_I should end this letter here. Sawara-san asked me to come in early today so that I can review several new job offers! I hope that at least one of them isn't a bully role._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Fuwa-samas,<em>

_I do not know how you will receive this letter, but I felt that it was long overdue. If you choose not to read it, I will understand._

_First of all, I am deeply remorseful for the manner in which your son and I left Kyoto. Your son had a dream to become a famous singer and musician, and I, as his friend, wanted to support him. I realize now that our actions were childish and foolish. I offer no excuses for my action. Please believe me, however, when I write that nothing untoward or dishonorable took place between your son and I. I followed him to Tokyo in order to support his dream, nothing more._

_You have every right to despise me. I only now understand how much you did for me after my mother abandoned me. You had no obligation to take me in, yet you not only took me in but you treated me like your own daughter and you taught me valuable skills that I still cherish today. I am sorry if it seems that I spit on all that you did for me. It was never my intention to dishonor your kindness toward me._

_You are almost certainly already aware of the fact that your son achieved his dreams? He is currently the most popular singer/songwriter/musician in Japan, and his music has topped the charts for almost a year now. He was signed by Akitoki Entertainment, Inc. shortly after we arrived in Tokyo. He quickly rose to fame and he has been at the top ever since._

_I should inform you that he and I are no longer [several words are blotted out here] associated with each other. I will write his contact information at the bottom of this letter, in case you need to After he was successful, I joined another entertainment company, LME, and began acting. It is a struggle at times, but I try to do my best with any work that is given to me. Thankfully I have close and dear friends who are here to help and advise me. Someday I hope to become a full-fledged actress with many, many roles. I realize that it is too much to expect, after the precipitous and inappropriate way that I left you, but if I could, I would like to make you proud of me._

_Whatever you may feel towards me now, please know this: you have been like parents to me, though I did not understand it in that perspective at the time. You took care of me, cared for me, taught me, and disciplined me. I can never thank you enough for all that you have done._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Chiori-chan,<em>

_We share similar circumstances in growing up without fathers, though I envy you for having known your father for the first part of your childhood. I can definitely understand why he is your ideal for what you want in a husband. It sounds like he was a very kind and wonderful father and husband._

_I agree that there is something special in the way that a husband hugs and kisses and cuddles with his wife… though I left that particular trait off of my own list to Tsuruga-san… It wouldn't have been appropriate to write such things to a man. Still, I honestly liked seeing Otou-san and Okaa-san together. Their affection for each other made me feel secure somehow and it made me long for something that I probably will never have._

_But I'm confident that you will find your ideal. You are a wonderful person and you deserve a good husband._

_Thanks for sharing this with me,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	19. Nineteenth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 19**

_Dear Friend,_

_I apologize if the last item on my list caused you personal distress. While I agree with you that most of the traits I listed are also important traits in a friend, that doesn't mean that I presume that you should reveal all of your deepest and darkest secrets to me. I (a small blob suggests that Kyoko's pen lingered too long) As your friend (the word "friend" is a little sloppy) I want to support you in any way that I can, but that does not mean that I would presume to expect you to share your darkest secrets with me._

_However, if you did wish (the remainder of this line was scribbled out). Forgive me, I was overstepping._

_Our topic for this week was "My greatest disappointment." It is odd, but although I have experienced many disappointments, I have had difficulty in actually choosing the greatest one. Perhaps I should explain this in more detail: _

_Before I write this next statement, please forgive me and do not become angry. I don't know exactly what your history with Fuwa Sho was before we met, but I do know that the barest mention of his name seems to irritate you. It was a surprise to me to discover that someone could despise him as deeply as I do, and yet… Once again, I hesitated to mention his name, but it is necessary in treating this subject honestly:_

_If I had been posed with the subject of greatest disappointment even six months ago… and if I had answered with absolute honesty, I would have said that he was my greatest disappointment. You see, Sempai, I think that what hurt the most was discovering that he was different than I believed him to be. You know the story, so I will not burden either of us with the repetition. But recently, with the help of Julie-san, I have come to realize that I was holding onto the false image of what I wanted in a friend… not in anything that I believed to be reality. That sounds confusing; allow me to put it a different way: I already knew what Shotaro was like… but I was still clinging to what I wanted him to be._

_I have recently come to realize that he was my substitute prince. The "real" prince in my imagination was the boy I met in the clearing. When he left, I assigned all of his characteristics to my imaginary Shotaro. I had liked him as a friend before and I did think him wonderful, but he was never all of the things that I tried to make him. What Okaa-san helped me to understand is that what happened was partially my fault (I hope that you don't think that it is wrong for me to call such a famous person that, but she asked me to… and I have come to think of her as "Okaa-san"). Essentially, what she helped me to see is that Fuwa Sho was not and could never have been my ideal prince. He is just an immature, self-obsessed, but very talented person who I used to know._

_Actually, that realization was somewhat freeing. Please believe me now, Sempai, when I restate that I have completely given up on the idea of revenge. Instead I want to act because I love it and because I want to create a Mogami Kyoko that I can be proud of. Please continue to support me in this?_

_My other great disappointment honestly doesn't feel like a great disappointment either, though it probably should be. Somebody who I once thought was… (the pen drifted here) supernatural… has recently turned out to be very human… though I haven't actually seen or spoken to him yet. I am not at liberty to write more about his because this is his personal information. But what I meant to write is that my friend is quite human… and that this should have come as a great disappointment to me… and yet, oddly, it hasn't. I suppose that the reason is this: I would rather know my friend in any normal form than to not know him in some spectacular form._

_He is a little like you, I suppose (please forgive me if what I write here is too much). When I first met you you were the "Great Tsuruga Ren." As I came to know you better, you actually grew in my estimation and my respect for your skills as an actor and a professional also grew. Then, after working closely with you as the Heel siblings, my respect for you continues, but I feel that you are more approachable. Now you even allow me to think of you as my friend. So even though I know you as a human rather than just a great actor, my respect for you has increased. This is all very embarrassing to write, but I thought about this all night and I truly wanted to approach this subject as honestly as possible._

_So then, perhaps my greatest disappointments were also my greatest moments of truth: One boy who I thought was a prince turned out to be a frog. Another boy who I thought to be a true faerie prince turned out to be human… And one man who I thought to be an unapproachable icon in the world of acting has turned out to be a friend._

_Which brings me back to the beginning of this letter: I know that you have a secret which haunts you, but I also know that it is something that you choose to keep to yourself. Although I have come to accept and even cherish the friendship you have offered (despite my early stubbornness) I am not offended or distressed that you choose to keep your secret._

_Although, as your friend, your kohai, and your pretend-sister I do wish that there was something that I could do for you to share the terrible burden of that secret._

_This is the most freely that I have ever written to you. If this is too much, then please be honest with me. Perhaps it has been all of the other recent surprise revelations in my life that have made this possible?_

_Or perhaps it is the fact that we are in the final week of filming, which will mean the end of Cain and Setsuka Heel… Which makes me feel both sad and relieved. I have enjoyed being your little sister, but as to what being Cain Heel has done to you (this portion of the letter has several scribbled-out attempts at sentences, none of which are decipherable. Only one word: "talisman" is partially legible)._

_So please forgive me for this rather forward and personal letter. I will try to be more circumspect in the future,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori,_

_Please don't apologize when you feel the need to revisit the same time in your childhood over and over. When Moko-san and I went to acting school one of our teachers talked about "defining moments" in a person's life. Everyone experiences moments in his or her life that seem to be definitive. _

_She told us that what we think, how we think, and how we interpret new experiences are all filtered through our perceptions based upon those defining moments. Hizuri Julie-san told me "You don't shouldn't try to avoid, forget, or ignore those moments, but you also can't allow them to taint the rest of your experiences." She told me that if I recognized the influence those painful memories had on me, they can make me strong, but if I allowed them to control me, then they would make me weak._

_It is only natural that the pain of rejection you felt when your childhood career fell apart would be your greatest disappointment. Then again, it can also be your strength. Those people may have stolen your first dream, but they can't take away your talent. I love acting with you, Chiori-chan, because you roll your experiences into your character and she becomes more real because of that._

_I just forced myself to put Tsuruga Ren's letter into the mailbox. I was hesitant because I was more forthright than usual. I hope that he isn't offended._

_I still have two other letters to write, so I will stop here for now. I also need to stop in and see Sawara-san. Have you heard back from the writing contest?_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Otou-san and Okaa-san,_

_How are things in sunny California? I know that we spoke on the phone three days ago, but I still wanted to thank you again for bringing me there to spend time with you. Over a month has passed since that visit ended but the pleasure of that my time there with you has not worn off._

_I also wanted to thank you for your sound advice about forgiving the past and moving on. I have been trying very hard to do exactly that. I was even more open in my correspondence than I ever could have been before. That does worry me, though, because American culture is much different from Japanese culture. What if my attempts at honesty and openness cause offense?_

_Still, I promised Okaa-san that I would try… and I am trying._

_I have received several new job offers since returning, including my first overseas offer! I only received that offer this morning. It is to play the daughter of an ambassador to France. The character is kidnapped in an attempt to force the ambassador to carry out certain actions during negotiations. The male lead is a federal investigator charged with locating and rescuing me. It is an action romance… a new genre for me._

_I promised Otou-san that I wouldn't reject offers, but this offer concerns me. I think that I could carry off the action portion of the film, but have my concerns about the romance. I am also concerned about how this project will pull me away from other commitments. Your advice would be appreciated._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Corn,_

_In your last letter you wrote "If you receive an offer for a film overseas, please don't turn it down." Was this a random request or did you know about the offer I was about to receive? I was surprised… even shocked when I was handed the offer this morning._

_And yes, I would be very, very pleased to actually meet you in person. Does this also have anything to do with this job offer? If I went to France would I be able to meet you there?_

_I apologize for the brevity of this letter, but I only have a week to accept or reject this offer. All of your previous replies have reached me in four days, so hopefully this one will do the same._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	20. Twentieth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 20**

_Dear Moko-san,_

_By the time you read this letter you should be airborne and on your way to meet Hizuri Julie-san in New York. I was amazed and a little sad to hear that you would be leaving so suddenly, but I am also proud. First of all, congratulations on your modeling job! Well, actually, maybe it should just be congratulations on __taking__ the modeling job with Swan. _

_I knew from talking with Okaa-san that you had been offered this job. I had been bragging to her about how beautiful you were when she told me that you had already been offered a position in her next tour and that you had turned it down. I was disappointed at the time because I've seen her new line and I could easily envision you in every outfit. So now I am pleased... though perhaps perplexed… Why did you change your mind and take the job?_

_I overheard you muttering something like "…get down to the bottom of this nonsense once and for all…," though I couldn't figure out what you meant. Lately you've been asking a lot of weird questions, Moko-san and you seem irritable. Have I done something wrong? If I have, please let me know so that I can fix it._

_Still, let me reiterate that I am so pleased that you will be modeling Okaa-san's new clothing line. Not only will you help to promote her beautiful clothes, but you will become even better known. This should help you to reach your goal of becoming the most famous actress in Japan! Besides, think how fun it will be to go to New York, Morocco, London, Paris, and Milan! I wish that I could go with you and we could shop together. Imagine, two best friends shopping together in the greatest cities in the world! (the Kanji here seems a little messy, as if the writer could not contain her excitement)._

_Well, I will get to see Paris, at least, since I accepted the movie offer. Sadly, you will already be gone and back in the United States by then. Enjoy your trip!_

_From your proud best friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

_p.s. I can't shake the feeling of trepidation about what you were muttering. Does this have something to do with Okaa-san? Surely not?_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Friend and Brother,_

_I GET TO COSTAR WITH YOU! I know that I should be embarrassed that you have to co-star with someone of my limited experience, but I am still too excited. I was feeling sad about the ending of your movie project, which also meant the end of the Heel siblings, and then I found out this! _

_I know that we won't be going to Paris as pretend-siblings, but at least I get to fulfill one of my greatest goals. I know that my skills are lacking, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to fulfill my responsibilities in my new role. Please be patient with me, Sempai?_

_Filming for this season of Box-R will conclude in one week. I would have felt bad if the only reason for this rush was my schedule, but two other actors also have other commitments, so that isn't the case. And the best part of this new role, besides being able to work with and learn from you, is that it isn't a bully role at all!_

_I apologize. I am using a lot of exclamation points in this, but I only found out ten minutes ago that you would also be in this movie with me and couldn't contain my excitement. Now I'm sitting in the LoveMe room trying to control my mind so that I can write about today's topic. Could I just put this letter on-hold until after work? Lunch hour is almost over and I can't possibly think straight right now._

_Okay, I'm back. I do apologize for the rush and sloppiness of the first portion of this letter. I had to work in the Talent Department all afternoon sorting through and re-filing hundreds of old documents. It was tedious work, but it did afford me the opportunity to get my mind under control. Having written that, please forgive me for the unprofessional demeanor of my letter. According to Takarada-shacho's rules, I have to send it to you as-is… otherwise I would not do so. Please do not think too poorly of me?_

_Anyway, as I understand it I will be departing for Paris in sixteen days. I am told that you and a second film crew will be filming your first scenes here in Tokyo for another two weeks and you won't be flying to Paris until almost twenty days after me. I suppose that makes sense, considering that your character won't actually encounter and save me until the second half of the movie. Still, I am pleased that I will have this opportunity to work alongside you and to continue to learn from you. Please take care of me._

_Now then, my topic: My Pet-peeve. We are each supposed to write about the thing that irritates us the most. It cannot be about a specific person, but rather it must be about the thing that irritates us the most in any person. After long and careful thought, I decided that my greatest pet-peeve is when people are fake. By this I don't mean anything like acting; naturally, acting required us to pretend to be things that we are not. But in real life, people should not pretend to be one thing while they are really another way._

_For example: somebody I know wishes the world to believe that he is cool, aloof, and sophisticated, while I know that he likes to lay around on a couch and laugh at lame game-show skits while eating a type of pudding that is marketed for little children. He is a fraud and a fake! Why not just let the world see who we really are? I know another person, an actress and singer, who pretended to be nice and princess-like, when in fact she was mean and spiteful._

_Then again, I suppose that I have little room for judgment. As I told you before, I don't really know who I am anymore. I am using acting as means to find out things about myself and to reinvent myself into someone that I and others can like… so I suppose that I am also a fake._

_Does motive have a part in this, or is that just my attempt to self-justify? Perhaps I have judged others too harshly. Perhaps we all are only trying to become something more than we are at the moment. Perhaps we pretend to be who we want to be in the hope that someday we will even fool ourselves and become who we have only pretended to be._

_Well, in the first part of this letter I acted like a foolish schoolgirl, while in the second half of this letter I rambled on nonsensically. I will end this now before you decide never to read another letter of mine again._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_I wasn't surprised to read about your pet-peeve. I have watched you and Moko-san whenever Shacho has forced us to watch films about romance. Neither of you are very tolerant of those who can't act yet who still manage to become famous._

_I hope that you don't group me in that category? I am not famous yet, so I hope that you will give me some leeway to become a better actress until and unless that happens? I am trying very diligently to try and become a worthwhile actress._

_After two years in this industry, I can now see how managers and producers sometimes make decisions to promote certain aspiring stars even though they are not quite ready yet. Perhaps they could be better with their talent, given proper time, but their skills are definitely lacking at the moment. I think that true skill requires time and patience, unless you are naturally gifted like Moko-san and Tsuruga-sempai. For people like me, it could take years to produce anything notable._

_I have to cut this short. I'm writing this letter in between sets of Box R so that I can put it with your bags before we finally wrap up for the day. I can't believe that we are filming four episodes in the next three days. It is exhausting, but the challenge of it is fun._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	21. Twentyfirst Letter – What If?

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 21 – What If?**

_Dear Moko-san,_

_I was excited to receive your letter from Milan, though I must confess to a certain amount of confusion and concern. You know that I have absolute faith in you… so I know that the article concerning a confrontation between you and Hizuri Julie-san was manufactured… though the photograph of you glaring at her does seem to imply that something happened. But now neither you nor Okaa-san will answer any of my questions. Please tell me if anything is wrong, Moko-san? It would break my heart if two of my most favorite people in the world were somehow fighting with each other._

_I will not press any further on that matter. I will, however, take the opportunity to tell you how beautiful you were in all of those dresses. I was so pleased to see you on television walking down the runway. You were prettier than all of the other models and I was so proud! Did you enjoy it? Will you want to do it again?_

_You are lucky that you are exempted from this week's letter assignment. Then again, it has given both Chiori and I a great deal of food-for-thought. Our assignment is to play "What if?" Basically, we have to list out five major events in our lives and examine how those events shaped our future. That part is actually interesting, but Takarada-Shacho didn't stop there; we also have to examine how those events impacted our "relationships" with the person to whom we are writing. As you might imagine, that is more embarrassing. How exactly am I supposed to tie my experiences to Tsuruga-san? True, everything led me to the moment that I joined LME, but if I write about him specifically, won't that seem like I am suggesting that we are tied together by fate? Won't that make me sound like one of those fawning fan-girls?_

_So count yourself lucky that you don't have to write a letter like that to Hiou-kun. Imagine what he might make of that? It is fun to tease you about having to write your letters to him, but even Chiori and I agree that this subject would be taking things a bit too far._

_Anyway, though I don't understand what is happening between you and Okaa-san, I hope that all is well. She is a wonderful and gracious woman if you take the chance to truly know her._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko, your Number One Best Friend_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_Thank you for your letter. I fully aware of our assignment; so I also understand that our assignment requires you to find ways in which your life-experiences were impacted by the person to whom you are writing. I have also promised several people that I will no longer "denigrate or undersell" myself by being overly humble. Still, don't you think that you might have gone a little overboard? It wasn't necessary to credit (the rest of this paragraph is blotted out)._

_Forgive me. I am flattered by what you wrote. More importantly, I am sincere when I tell you that I hold no grudge about what happened at TBM. You were correct that it became a catalyst for our future friendship, so in a way it was a fortuitous moment. Please think about it in that way. _

_As to your reasons for joining LoveMe, I am pleased that you saw something in me that made you believe that donning the pink monstrosity was worth it (or should I be apologizing?) It is also gratifying to know that you feel that you have benefitted from your decision. Although I cannot know exactly what you feel that you have gained, I can definitely say that your career seems to be taking off. If I had any part in that, then it is an honor._

_Now I have to sit down and write my letter to Tsuruga-sempai. For various reasons this is a difficult letter for me to write. Wish me luck?_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko, your friend and fellow pink-sufferer_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Friend,_

_This letter will be posted from the airport in order to get it to you within the week-deadline. I apologize for taking so long to sit down and write this, but the subject was difficult for certain reasons. You will understand after reading this. I know that you have scolded me repeatedly for being too self-critical, but it is still difficult for me to presume to align myself with someone as distinguished as you._

_But over the past few days, as I struggled with this assignment, I came to realize the truth: I owe you more than I have ever properly acknowledged. (This is very embarrassing for me to write, so please understand)._

_Once again I have jumped out of the starting gate before the sound of the gun. Please allow me to explain: Our letter-writing topic for this week is "What If?" Essentially, we were supposed to identify five major events in our lives and examine how those events shaped our future. That part is actually interesting, but Takarada-Shacho didn't stop there; we also have to examine how those events impacted our "relationships" with the person to whom we are writing. Perhaps now you understand my hesitancy?_

_Nevertheless, I will press on and ignore my own embarrassment. Before I begin, please understand that the first two "what-if's" are essential, although I know that you bear some private dislike of the other person mentioned._

_What if I hadn't decided to accompany Fuwa Shotaro to Tokyo? Looking back, I realize how foolish my decision was in so many ways. But if I hadn't run away to Tokyo, I would probably still be living in Kyoto today. I would never have met Kotonami Kanae, Takarada Lory, Maria-chan, Chiori-san, [Kyoko's handwriting is a little unsteady on the next three words] or you, Sempai._

_What if I hadn't sought revenge? If Fuwa Shotaro had not treated me is such a manner, I would not have sworn revenge. If I had not shamefully sworn to use acting as a means of revenge, I would never have approached LME. Despite the despicable reasons for my audition at LME, I encountered an entirely new world of possibilities. And even though you despised me from the beginning because of my reason for acting, you still gave me a chance to change and helped me to realize a passion for acting._

_What if Takarada-shacho hadn't decided to make me join LoveMe? As humbling as it has been to wear the pink suit, it has given me many opportunities that I would never have had otherwise. Because of LoveMe I was able to befriend Mo… Kanae-chan. Because of a LoveMe assignment, I was able to meet Maria-chan. Due to another assignment, I met Otou-san… I mean Hizuri Kuu. There have been countless other benefits, including the fact that I understand LME and the entertainment industry much better now. There have been bad moments, but the good moments far outweigh them. It is more difficult to tie this particular "what if" to you directly. I suppose that if I were to point out anything, it would be that you have never made Kanae, Chiori, or me feel second-class because of our LoveMe status*. Thank you for that._

_What if you had not encouraged me to join the cast of Dark Moon? As you know, I wanted to decline the role of Hongo Mio. I had imagined her character to be a princess-like ojou-sama. When I discovered that she was a scarred, bitter, hateful young woman I wanted to withdraw. But you encouraged me and you supported me when I was struggling to find the true Mio. And when I found her, you treated me, a rank amateur, as a professional… even an equal. And because of that, I have found the goal of someday becoming a great actress… though I know that it may take years to achieve._

_What if Takarada-shacho had never given Kanae, Chiori, and me this letter writing assignment? In the past few months I have been writing letters to you as a part of another LoveMe assignment. At the beginning I was mortified that you should be burdened with correspondence from me, but you have read each letter and have replied with thoughtful honesty. These letters have accomplished two things for me, Sempai: They have enabled me to examine myself in a way that I never have before. I understand things about myself and about… other things… that I might never have otherwise. [This next part is written more erratically, as if Kyoko was struggling to write the words] And also, these letters, and your faithful responses, have helped me to get to know you better. You have asked me to call you friend and you have treated me as a friend. For this, more than anything, I thank you._

_My friend, you are probably wondering why I am writing so frankly in this letter. Perhaps it is because I am about to depart on this trip to France and I feel the safety of distance… although I recognize this as cowardice. I think that the true reason for my honesty in this letter is a nagging sense of impending [the words "doom," "destiny," and "trouble" were written here and then crossed out] events that may be coming in the near future. I can't explain, exactly, because I don't understand it myself. All that I can say for certain is that I feel certain that something earth-shaking is coming soon; something that may change many things. Perhaps I am being silly, but I can't seem to shake this feeling. Therefore I felt the need to write more forthrightly than in my previous letters._

_Whatever happens in the near future, Tsuruga Ren, please know that I have greatly valued your friendship and all that you have done for me. Once again, thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes: <strong>I have been struggling with this chapter, thus the long delay. It has been in my head since the beginning, but carrying it out and making it seem real is not as easy. Kyoko's growing awareness of Ren's impact on her life came as a shock to her… a shock with serious after-shocks as well… and she isn't sure what to think about her own reactions. Of course, if I have to explain all of that, then it means that I failed to communicate that in the story.

*Kyoko chose to forget the fact that Ren used her LoveMe status to torture her on several occasions.


	22. Twentysecond Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 22**

_Dear Corn,_

_Paris is as incredible as you described in your letter. On my off-hours I have been wandering the streets and markets. I am supposed to speak French later in the movie, so I have been engaging in as many conversations with the Parisians as possible. I took French and English in middle school, so I did learn some of the language, but not nearly enough. The Director has me in a crash-course with a consulting language teacher. Hopefully I should be better soon. Honestly, I don't know why I was chosen rather than an actress who already knows the language._

_The first week of filming for _Desperate Hours_ has been relatively light. The first part of the movie tells the story of how my character, Shiratori Mieko, first came to Paris with her father as a rebellious teen, I don't have to worry too much about speaking French at first. But later, when we begin filming the scenes of my character's older self, I need to be ready._

_I was confused about your cryptic words concerning the possibility of meeting here in Paris. What did you mean, exactly, when you wrote that I "already know [you] well, although necessity kept [you] from letting [me] know you at all"? I have read and re-read this, but I still can't decipher your meaning. At first I thought that you were referring to the fact that you allowed a young girl to believe that you were a faerie prince, but you already know that I bear no grudges for this. Is there another secret, something larger still? Please believe me when I write that there is nothing that I will not forgive._

_I apologize for pressing this issue, but I fear that you are keeping yourself hidden from me because of this deep secret, and it saddens me. Please allow me to meet my childhood friend again?_

_Your friend, sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Moko-san,_

_Thank you for reassuring me about the tabloid report and the false stories concerning you and Okaa-san. It pleases me to know that you and she are getting along. At the moment I am grinning from ear-to-ear while I look at the two-page spread in Vogue about the Swan fashion show in Milan. It is only fitting and natural that they chose to snap the photo while you were foremost on the runway. The flowing tea-dress that you are wearing only emphasizes how perfect Julie-sama's fashions fit on you. Do you think that I could get a copy of this photo? I will keep the magazine copy, but a print would look so much better framed._

_This seems to be my week for receiving cryptic messages in letters. What did you mean when you wrote "perhaps I have misjudged certain things"? And what did you intend when you wrote that you were going to "adopt a wait-and-see approach"? Does this have something to do with what you said before you left to join the Swan Fashion Tour?_

_Filming for _Desperate Hours_ is going well so far. My fellow cast-members, both Japanese and French, are fun to work with, though they do make me feel like a fraud. Several of the younger Japanese members seem overawed by my lead-status and they are behaving with alarming deference to me. One in particular, a young actress who plays a friend in the movie, claims that she has the box-set of both _Dark Moon_ and _Box 'R_, as well as the DVD of Fuwa Sho's _Prisoner_ video. She behaves as if I am some sort of star instead of the new and inexperienced actress that I truly am. This must be how Tsuruga Ren feels all of the time, though he actually deserves the adulation that he receives._

_My French lessons are moving along rapidly, though I could wish that I possessed even a portion of your gift for memorization. Just about the time that I think that I am able to converse in this language, a Parisian will expound volubly and passionately on some subject and I won't understand three words. Still, progress is being made. I have taken to visiting local coffee shops and cafes in order to polish my skills. There is a pastry shop near the studio where I wish that you and I could sit and visit together._

_Tsuruga Ren will arrive in one week and the filming will begin in earnest. Up until now the focus has been on my early scenes. Once he arrives, we will film the kidnapping, his rescue, and our desperate flight through the streets of Paris while the terrorist hunt for us. _

_I am concerned about some of the later scenes. As the movie progresses, my character is supposed to fall in love with his. This would have been difficult before, but now it is worse. Moko-san, recently I have come to realize [a full sentence is completely blacked out at this point] … certain things… and I am deeply afraid that those… things… will reveal themselves at an inopportune moment. I desperately wish that you were here right now so that we could speak together privately. I am in need of advice from my dear best friend._

_Please take care of yourself in New York,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_Do you like the scene in this postcard? As I write this, I am sitting near the center of the foremost bridge in this picture. I can't sit in the direct center because it is occupied by a dear old couple who are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They told me that they sat and drank coffee in that very spot fifty years ago. They must love each other very much._

_Will I ever know a love like that? It probably seems to be an odd question coming from me, but perhaps I have been too stubborn on that particular subject._

_Please take care of yourself and enjoy your break from letter-writing,_

_Your friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Friend,_

_I don't know if this letter will reach you before it is time for you to board your flight for Paris. Your own letter to me did not arrive until yesterday, so perhaps this letter will miss you and may have to follow you back here._

_Perhaps I should have been more circumspect in communicating my sense of impending events. I did not wish to alarm you, nor did I wish to make you think that I was saying goodbye in any way. I only meant to say that I feel that certain things are going to change; in ways that both frighten and thrill me. Perhaps I should have written instead that I have become more aware of things that I have either overlooked entirely or studiously ignored in the past._

_It would be foolish to write more at this time. It is frightening to think that I am right in my newly found perception, but I now realize that it would be even worse to find that I was wrong. Now my letter has become as cryptic as other letters that I have been receiving. I will write no more on this except to say that I want very much to be right this time._

_I look forward to seeing you in Paris soon, Tsuruga Ren,_

_Your Friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	23. Twentythird Letter  A cry for advice

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 23 – A cry for advice**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_I apologize in advance if this is an imposition, but I needed to confide in someone… and you are the only one who is not involved in this somehow. By that I don't mean to imply that you are my last resort! Please don't misunderstand. I only mean that I am unable to confide about this particular problem with any of the other people to whom I might correspond. Moko-san seems to have a fixed opinion about the person in-question. The Hizuri's are relate (this uncompleted word was scratched out but still slightly legible) … they know of the other person in-question. And it will become obvious why I am unable to correspond with Tsuruga-sempai…(a drifting line her indicates that Kyoko must have become lost in thought)_

_Forgive me for the messiness of this letter. It seems that I have become accustomed to Takarada-Shacho's restrictions prohibiting the re-writing of our letters. When I realized that I had made a mess of this letter I wanted to start over, but I couldn't do it. Is it the same for you now?_

_Please never mind the last paragraph. I realize that I am stalling. So then I will get directly to the point (a series of incomplete symbols indicates that Kyoko made several false-starts before proceeding) But before I begin, I must beg you to never disclose the information that I am about to share with you. After reading this letter, please burn it, turn the ashes to dust and place that dust where the wind will blow it away forever. That seems melodramatic, yet it also seems necessary to my sanity._

_Enough! I will begin. Although I swore off that destructive and heinous emotion forever, it seems that I have failed: I have fallen in love (the previous three sentences were written in a bold, decisive hand, but all that follows is in a hand that must have been shaking). Please don't laugh or look down on me for this admission. When I disclose exactly who I have allowed my heart to fix on I know that you will be tempted. I fully realize that my fixation is impossible, that I am unworthy to even consider such a match, but my heart will not relent. I suppose that it was the letter-writing that was the final straw because the letters he wrote in return, and the private thoughts he shared with me began a longing that I cannot deny. Life and love are cruel in throwing me once-again into an impossible desire. Still, I can't deny the truth any longer: I am in love with Tsuruga Ren._

_Before you write back to me and berate me about the impossibility of such a match, let me reassure you that I am perfectly aware of that truth. Although both you and Moko-san suggested that I might feel such an attachment during the incident of Tsuruga-sempai's trip to Taiwan, I know that neither of you seriously believed that I would ever be paired with a man who is so far above me. He could have any woman, so why would he choose me? I know all of this and yet my rebellious feelings still persist! (the crinkling of the paper below this suggests that it might have become wet and then been dried again before proceeding)._

_Chiori-san, I would not even write of this except for another problem and the reason that I so desperately need your advice. If my impossible feelings for Sempai were the only issue, then I would simply suppress them until such time as they withered for lack of attention. But there is another man who has entered the picture… or rather, who will soon enter the picture. In several of our conversations over the past months and also in our correspondence I have made mention of a childhood friend who appeared in my life, made a deep impact, and vanished again. As you know, he has made himself known to me again and I was expecting to see him here in Paris. I was excited about this opportunity to reunite with my dear friend, but now I am uncertain._

_As I mentioned in passing, Corn was someone who was the perfect ideal to me: a prince who was kind and strong and handsome. I suppose that a part of me always dreamed that he would return someday, sweep me off of my feet, marry me and whisk me off to his magical kingdom… once again I will remind you not to laugh. Even after my other childhood friend treated me so poorly and even after I swore off love forever, I think that I still held on to the fantasy of Corn's return. Now he has returned and there is a problem. I have been corresponding with him for two months now, but I did not realize until this last letter from him that he might be expecting more from me than I am prepared for._

_You and Moko-san have often accused me of being "oblivious" to the feelings of others towards me. I have often felt offended by this accusation, but in this particular instance I have come to realize that you were both correct. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but after re-reading the letters from Corn I have realized that he is making a lot of allusions about our future together… or at least of his hopes in that respect. If such a possibility had presented itself even one year ago, I might have been ecstatic, but now that my heart has rebelliously fixed on someone else… even someone who is entirely outside of my league… I almost dread the near-future._

_Of course, the truth is that Corn… the true Corn, now that I know his true identity… is also completely out of my league. I wish that I could explain in detail, but suffice it to say that although the Corn I knew is not exactly who I thought he was, he is still from an almost-royal family. Also, he has not seen me once since early childhood, so there is the very distinct and real possibility that he will be so disappointed in me once he meets me that my concerns will be unnecessary (another erratic drifting line suggests that Kyoko was lost in thought again… and that her thoughts were painful)._

_But if he truly feels the way that his letters imply, and if he does not change his mind, then what am I to do? Never in my life has any boy or man thought of me in that way, and so I have absolutely no frame-of-reference from which to draw. How should I react if someone likes me, but my heart is drawn to another? And what should I do when the one who has my heart is a man who would never return my feelings?_

_And how will I be able to hide all of the turmoil that I feel inside when both men appear at the same time here in Paris?_

_As you can see, I am in an impossible situation. You have been my faithful correspondent for more than six months and I have learned to cherish both your friendship and your wisdom, so I ask you to please advise me now._

_Your friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

[The following is a text message that Kyoko sent in reply to Kotonami Kanae's unexpected text message]

_Moko-san. I was surprised to get your message. Is it OK that you left Hizuri Julie-san in the middle of the modeling tour? Of course I will be pleased to pick you up at the airport. I will see you in Paris tomorrow morning. Mogami Kyoko_


	24. Twenty fourth letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 24**

_Dear Sempai,_

_I will not, I cannot apologize for my absence over the past two days. I desperately needed time to think and to attempt to understand everything that you have revealed to me. You cannot berate me because I have not missed any work due to my absence. I requested and received permission for this time off. When you arrive on set in the morning I will be there and prepared to work._

_I do apologize for taking this tone with you, but I do not know yet how else to respond. I simply can't seem to wrap my mind around this revelation. From a logical point of view I understand why you have kept this secret from me, Corn (the last word was written erratically). This secret and your reason for having it is far larger than our relationship as sempai and kohai, or our relationship as friends, or even our relationship as two children who met and shared an adventure so many years ago. _

_I know all of that logically, but it still hurts to know that you have been nearby me for so long and yet you have chosen not to identify yourself to me. I feel foolish for not recognizing you and even more foolish for how I have behaved in front of you since we met again. It seems safe to assume that I have been a disappointment to you. That hurts perhaps more than anything else._

_Still, if you have any respect left for me then I make this humble request: please do not try to remonstrate, explain, or console me when I return to the set tomorrow. I sincerely promise that I will give the best performance that is within me. I will not disappoint you further with my unprofessionalism nor will I allow my own personal feelings to impact the filming of this movie. More than this I cannot promise._

_Although it seems impossible for me to believe at this moment I know that I will eventually be able to regain some measure of control over my warring thoughts and emotions. Until that time, please allow me the time I need._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Kanae,_

_I will leave this letter in your bag so that you will probably find it and read it as you fly to rejoin Hizuri Julie in Milan. _

_I am sorry that I was unable to properly express my gratitude to you for taking the time out of your busy modeling tour to fly here and speak with me personally. It may not have seemed so at the time, but I listened to everything that you flew here to tell me. I promise that I will ponder your counsel very carefully._

_You are correct, of course: this entire deception was created in order to save Hizuri Kuon from his youthful mistakes and it had nothing to do with me. But in a way that is the worst blow of all. More than anything else I wanted to be the support and strength to my childhood friend, Corn. Instead I created a fantasy image of him and I depended upon him for my support. Worse still, when we did meet again I was unworthy to help him. And, worst of all, when he was secretly in need of help I was too weak to support him and I ended up needing his support instead (a portion of the paper after this was water-damaged. Kyoko began writing again on a fresh sheet of paper)_

_Moko-san, more than anything else I want to be a help to him… but how? For the past two days I have been working on-set with him, but when the cameras turn off I cannot make myself interact with him. I can see the hurt in his eyes, but I don't know what to do!_

_I am very sorry for burdening you with this. It seems that I am the needy one in all of my relationships. Somehow I have to become strong again; for him, for you, and for everyone else who I care about and who I want to support._

_Please tell Hizuri Julie that I do not hate her, even though I have not returned any of her phone calls. Eventually I will be able to reconcile everything in my mind. Until then I am not ready to speak with anyone. Please help her to understand?_

_Sincerely, your very unworthy best-friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	25. Twenty fifth Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 25**

_Dear Moko-san,_

_Ironically, I discovered your letter to me at about the same time that you must have found my last letter to you. As you requested, I read the letter in its entirety, even though… as you predicted… it was difficult at first._

_First of all, let me write that you are the best friend that any girl could ever hope to have! Until reading this letter I did not understand why you suddenly changed your mind about taking the modeling job with Oka[scratched out] Hizuri Julie. Nor did I understand what you had meant when you said that you intended "...to get to the bottom of this once and for all." It makes me want to cry in gratitude to think that you went to such lengths in order to protect me!_

_You should have been a detective! How is it possible that you pieced so many details together and began to suspect that Tsuruga San was actually Hizuri Kuon? I spent much more time with him [the calligraphy for the next several sentences becomes messier, more erratic] but I never suspected a thing. True, I did notice the occasional similarity between Tsuruga-sempai and the man I imagined that Corn might become, but still…_

_That brings me to another concern however: Was that what you fought with Okaa[scratched out again] (I don't know what to call her now. I can't call her Okaa-san anymore, because now the implication is different. But I still care for the Hizuris deeply, despite their unintended deception). Anyway, what I was starting to write was that I hope that the scandal about your big argument with her wasn't about this issue? Then again, how else could you have suddenly become aware of the entire story? I know that you didn't meet with Tsuruga-sempai, so who else could you have learned the information from? Regardless, I hope that you have not damaged your reputation with her for my sake?_

_So now I feel honor-bound to give full consideration to what you have written, despite the fact that I feel unprepared to do so yet. You are correct, though I hate to admit it: if you didn't push me, I might never have taken this step. If I look at all of this from Hizuri Kuon's perspective, everything makes sense… though I am struggling to accept your premise concerning his feelings for me. How can I possibly believe that he started having feelings for me all the way back to when I was sixteen? (Actually… he said the same thing, but it is so difficult for me to accept)._

_Since you already saw the truth, I will also admit my growing feelings for [several attempts at writing a name were made, but each one was blotted out] him. For a long time I wanted to deny these feelings, mostly from a fear of getting hurt again [a line trails off and blots at one edge of the paper]_

_[The writing changes here, suggesting that Kyoko walked away from the letter and then returned to it later] I'm sorry for the mess that I've made. I don't have the same restrictions in writing to you, yet I somehow feel compelled to leave this letter as-is._

_Your arguments are sound and well-reasoned about everything else: It must have taken great courage to begin the process of exposing his true identity after so many years of living under another name… and I will admit that I am aware of the honor that he has shown to me by choosing to reveal the truth to me first. Also, it does make perfect sense that he would hesitate to tell me because he would expect me to act in exactly the manner in which I reacted (for which I am now deeply ashamed). And most importantly, it is true that over the past two years he has gone far beyond what anyone might expect to support me, encourage me, and teach me. So even though he did keep his true identity from me, he was still the same strong, caring, kind person who I met as a little girl._

_Therefore, as frightening as it is to even contemplate this next step, I will do my best to find a way to talk to Tsuruga-sempai again. I wish you had been able to remain in Paris because I have never felt so cowardly in my life._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Friend,_

_Thank you for your note and for the patience that you have shown to me as I struggled to understand this new reality. I apologize if anything that I have done this week has caused you pain. _

_Yes, I will go to dinner with you after filming for the day is complete. I will meet you in the lobby at 7 p.m._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	26. A Secret Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 26**

_Dear Chiori-san,_

_If you are reading this, then you are probably in Takarado-shacho's office or have just left it. Either that, or you are running around in the street flapping your arms like a madwoman… which is what I felt like doing when I found out the truth. I know that Shacho did not intend to hand you this letter until after he told you everything, so that means that you must know._

_Although this may be a burden to you, I am pleased that I no longer have to keep this a secret from you. Re[scratched out] Tsuruga-sempai noticed my pensiveness while writing and he pressed me until I admitted the reason for my unhappiness. Over the past few months I have grown to cherish our correspondence and your wise advice. More recently I have shared a very personal secret with you. So when it suddenly became necessary to become vague and evasive in my replies to your letters, I felt like I was betraying the close friendship we had built._

_But Tsuruga-sempai is as wise as he is kind. When I explained my difficulty, he decided that you could be trusted with his secret. He explained that someone as bright and curious as you would almost assuredly notice the change in my letters… and that you would become dangerously curious as a result. More importantly, he said that he could trust you… because I trust you. Chiori-san, I am sure that Takarada-shacho has already lectured you about the need for extreme secrecy at this point. The time for him to reveal himself is drawing close, but it would be detrimental for his secret to be revealed too early. I trust you and know that you will hold onto this information with the utmost care._

_The letter I wrote three weeks ago must seem ironic and amusing to you now. Truthfully, I was mortified about what I wrote when I found out that Tsuruga Ren and Corn were the same man (This is the last time that I will write of this in a letter to you, for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. I know that Takarada-shacho has instructed you to burn this letter, so I feel safe writing this time). When he revealed the truth to me, I behave badly. Actually, I panicked and hid myself away for a while. There were so many conflicting thoughts and emotions. It was several days before I could even think straight._

_Thankfully I had several days off in the filming schedule. I walked the streets of Paris, drank coffee, talked to the shop owners, and stared at the sights. I don't know if I would have progressed at all if it weren't for Moko-san. She asked for and was granted time away from her modeling tour in order to fly to Paris and spend some time with me. She already knew everything because Hizuri Julie-san told her. Ok[scratched-out] Hizuri-san told her because she was worried about my reaction. She told Moko-san that she didn't intentionally or willingly deceive me, and I believe that. The fact that she sent Moko-san to me only confirms that. Still, I don't know how to communicate with the Hizuris now._

_This problem made worse because of what I will tell you next: Tsuruga Ren and I are dating. I know that probably sounds ludicrous to you, [this sentence was line-out] No, I have to stop denigrating myself or he will scold me again. I was shocked when he told me… very forcefully in fact… that he felt strong feelings for me. All of this time, though my feelings for him have been growing, I always hid them due to my own certainty that he could never return those feelings. He told me that he was doing the same thing… only for much longer. Chiori-san, he told me [this sentence was scratched out, but still legible] nevermind. At first I struggled to believe it because I have always felt unworthy of him, but he told me the same things that both you and Moko-san have told me about doubting myself._

_Last week I accepted a dinner date with him. Since then we have spent almost every evening together. Unfortunately a reporter from Japan who was writing an article about our movie noticed how much time we were spending in each other's company. That reporter has blown everything out of proportion now and everyone believes that we are doing something illicit. I suggested that we should stop spending time together, but he wouldn't hear of it. In fact he has become [the calligraphy here is a little shaky] more… demonstrative, even though he knows that paparazzi are following us around._

_Please don't misinterpret this: he is always respectful and he is a perfect gentleman [a drifting line here suggests that Kyoko might have drifted off into embarrassed thought]_

_I apologize for drifting off and making a mess of this letter. It seems to be an ongoing problem. It is perhaps a good thing that you will be burning this particular letter._

_Filming in Paris will be complete in six days and then it will be time to return to Tokyo. I feel like a different person from when I left… and am a little uncertain about what will happen with my relati[crossed out] my dating situation with Tsuruga Ren. I am glad that Moko-san will also return this week, meaning that then I will be able to rely on both of my good friends for… advice._

_Please continue to take care of me, _

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Hizuris,_

_Please don't be offended that I do not write to you as "Otou-san and Okaa-san." This is not reflective of any hurt feelings about your son's deception. He has explained everything completely. I feel foolish for any negative reaction that I had about that now that I understand. It must have been very difficult for both of you to lose your son for so many years. It may be presumptuous, but I honor you for doing such a painful thing for his sake._

_So please believe me when I repeat that I have not changed my address to you out of anger or spite. In my heart you are still as dear to me as ever, if not more so. However, with the [the page shows several attempts to begin the next word, but she does not complete a full word until the following line] alteration in my… friendship with your son… it no longer seems appropriate for me to continue to use those familiar terms... due to the fact that people might misconstrue my use of those particular terms in light of the current situation._

_NOT that I am making any assumptions about the future or anything like that! I simply meant [several sentences are blotted out here and are completely illegible] Please disregard my useless attempts at trying to explain myself. Also, please know this: I place the greatest value on all that you have done for me and for the way that you welcomed me into your home and life. If my silence in the past few weeks has caused you any distress, then please forgive me?_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	27. Twenty seventh Letter

**Dear Sempai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 27**

_Dear Ren,_

_Please read this completely. Please don't obey your first instinct to ball it up and throw it away. I realize that you are angry, but I cannot and will not apologize for my refusal to yield on this particular issue. If you will only take the time to read this letter and to consider my reasoning then I think that you will see why I need to do this._

_To be completely honest, I am both overwhelmed and chagrined to finally understand that I was the reason that you have always reacted so [Kyoko's writing became less precise here]… strongly whenever his name was mentioned, or whenever I ended up near him for one cursed reason or another. I do understand now, though if you only knew how deeply I have despised him, you might have understood how… unnecessary your concerns were._

_Nevertheless, up until now he _has_ held a power over me, only because of my own insistent determination to exact revenge. Now I am finally ready to release the chains of my past and move on. This is mostly because of the fact that a man like you, and dear friends like Kanae and Chiori, and older people like your parents have shown me that I can be loved… and loved deeply. Sempai… Friend… Ren, because of you I am ready to move on and release that past forever. _

_But to make that break complete and clean, I need to write that letter. I know that you don't want me to have any more to do with Fuwa Shotaro, and I agree. Yet to move on, I need to close that part of my life once and for all. Please understand?_

_There is also another letter that I need to write, but I will speak with you about that tomorrow… assuming that you are willing to speak with me again?_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Fuwa Shotaro,_

_I am fairly certain that you never expected or desired a letter from the girl who you have long since closed out of your life. Still, I felt the need to write this letter. You may read this letter or destroy it as you wish._

_First of all, I want to thank you for the friendship that we once shared. Although our current interaction is something less then amicable, you were once someone who I valued as a close friend. It will never be what it once was, but for what it was, I now choose to be grateful._

_I have also come to realize that what happened was also partially my fault. You and I were friends, nothing more. It was me who allowed my imagination to run wild so that I entertained thoughts of it becoming something more. You never thought of me in any other way than as a childhood friend… until you began to think of me as nothing more than your personal maid [the last line was written with a heavy hand. It ends in a blot, suggesting that Kyoko might have broken her fountain pen]_

_[This new writing returns to Kyoko's normal, elegant style] The past is the past. It is clear that not all friendships last forever. Therefore it seems ludicrous for me to hold onto unnecessary and meaningless feelings of hurt and the desire for revenge. Such emotions are valueless. So, from this time forward, I release you from our shared past and I release myself from my pledge of revenge. I will continue to act for the sole reason that I love everything about acting. I will make a new life with people who are important to me in that new life._

_I have good friends now. I have people who care for me with honesty, protectiveness and gentleness. One friend actually risked her career to confront an important person and find out an important truth. After she found the truth, she risked her career again to fly to me so that she could help me to understand and accept that truth. She is a true best-friend. Finally, I have a man who cares for me both as a person and as a woman. As impossible as it might be for you to believe, he feels that I am completely worthy of his love._

_So then, Fuwa Shotaro-san, I will say goodbye to the past just as I say goodbye to you. As difficult as it might be for you to believe, I wish you the best in all of your endeavors. Take care of yourself._

_Goodbye,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Maria-chan,_

_I'm sending this letter along with the post cards of the Louvre, the cathedral of Notre Dame, and the bridges of Paris because it would be impossible to write everything that I need to write to you in the spaces that the post-cards offer. Besides, if you decide to toss or shred or burn this letter you will still be able to keep the beautiful post-cards… though I dearly hope that you will not decide to do that._

_In reply to your text-message-question: I am sorry, but the answer is "yes." Tsuruga Ren asked be to begin dating him and I agreed. Maria-chan, I know how you feel about him, and I'm sorry. If this seems like a betrayal of your trust, then I can't begin to express how much I regret it._

_Please believe me when I tell you that I never pursued him like all of the other females who you despise. At first I disliked him and then I respected him. As time went on he took me under his wing and taught me how to be a professional actress. Eventually I began to think of him as a friend… and then, to my own surprise, as more than a friend. It was only when he confessed his feelings for me I was able to admit my own._

_Maria-chan, I have come to think of you as my dear younger-sister and I value your friendship and your trust deeply. I cannot lie to you or to myself about my feelings for Tsuruga Ren. It might be that nothing will come of this in the end, but until then I want… no, I have to find out where our relationship together will go._

_In four days we will arrive back in Tokyo. If you will allow me, I will come to speak with you as soon as I am able. Please, Maria-chan, will you meet with me?_

_Your hopeful friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	28. Twenty-eighth Letter

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 28 – A search for answers**

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Fuwa,_

_I hope that you are willing to read this letter until the end. _

_First of all, I most deeply and sincerely regret leaving you with your in the way that I did three years ago. You showed great kindness to me by taking me in when my mother abandoned me, and I owe you better than the way that I treated you. You both took care of me and trained me to step into your shoes in the Ryokan, and I am aware of what you were hoping for. Unfortunately, that was never a possibility. Your son has never looked at me in the way that you intended and it would never have been appropriate for me to take over the operation of your establishment without that… understanding… being met._

_Second, I need to emphasize that neither your son nor I shamed ourselves in the manner that our running away together might have implied [this writing is shaky, but still legible]. Shotaro left to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. I left to support him. At no point did our relationship take on an illicit nature. In fact, within months of arriving in Tokyo, your son was gone more than he was ever nearby. Despite his odd statement to the contrary, he never showed any interest in me as anything more than a friend. After less than a full year in Tokyo we had an argument that led to our near-complete estrangement. He pursued his career and I began mine._

_[This next part is written in a bold hand, showing determination and perhaps a little anger] And third, I am sorry that Shotaro's disclosure of our "relationship" has led to your respectable Ryokan being invaded by the Press. I was surprised, even shocked when he made that public statement. Up until this point he had always emphasized the need to keep our past a secret so that __**his**__ public reputation would not be tarnished. We do not now, nor have we ever had the sort of relationship that his press statement implies. In fact, we have barely spoken together in three years, and when we have spoken it has usually been less than pleasant. I do not point blame for this; I am merely stating the facts._

_[The writing in the last paragraph grew more bold and choppy as it progressed, suggesting that Kyoko may have been letting her irritation run away with her. The next paragraph returns to Kyoko's elegant hand, implying that she stepped away from the letter to get control of her temper]_

_In fact, I have met and am dating a wonderful man here in Tokyo. He is a kind, patient and caring man who seems to be able to see past all of my faults. He tells me that he loves me, and he has proven it in many ways. He and others have helped me to see that I need to let go of my past in order to move on. For this reason I wrote your son a letter to express my intention to forget all past hurts and wrongs and to focus on the future with those who care about me. Please understand, by writing this I don't mean to imply that you are a part of my past that I wish to forget. In truth I will always cherish the care that you gave to me. Much of who I am today is due to the care and training that you both gave to me and I can never thank you enough._

_Nevertheless, I needed you to know the truth about your son and I. Perhaps my letter to him irritated him, though I don't understand why. Or perhaps he is angry because I am dating a man who is Shotaro's professional rival. Whatever the case, the truth is that your son and I were never more than friends… and that now we are much less than that._

_I sincerely apologize, once again, for any inconvenience that you might currently be experiencing due to Shotaro's odd interview. I am sending this letter Express so that you will receive it before noon on the following day. I wanted you to have this letter before my own press conference, which will be in the afternoon. I will do my best not to shame you, but I will also be completely honest about the true nature of the relationship between your son and I._

_For all that you have done for me, I most humbly thank you,_

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Maria,_

_I am jotting this down quickly to give to Sebastian-san so that he can pass it to you. Thank you so much for spending the morning with me, even though we had to run around incognito in order to avoid the Press. I cannot express how grateful and relieved I am that you were willing to forgive me and that you still consider me your friend._

_Thank you again for being so understanding,_

_Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Ren,_

_You will find this note sitting on your counter in place of me. I felt that it would be more prudent if we didn't take the risk of being photographed together on less than a day after that __**that jerk **__caused such a public scandal between him and me. For this reason I used the apartment key that you gave me to sneak in with a note, but chose not to wait there myself. If the press got wind of my location then your reputation might be besmirched as well. I do realize that we have already been photographed together extensively while in Paris, but felt that it would be better to fight one fire at a time here in Tokyo. As much as I am tempted to apologize profusely for any possible damage to your reputation, I will abstain… knowing perfectly well how you would treat such an apology._

_I will, however, say this: You were right, though not in the way that either of us suspected. I truly saw the letter to Fuwa-san as an act of closure. I certainly never expected to be greeted at the airport by a storm of reporters. Nor did I expect that he would ever publically claim that he and I had a relationship. It makes no sense. And as much as I would like to strangle the **idiot**, Takarada-shacho has wisely counseled me that a mature and reasoned explanation of the facts would be better._

_So you see, it is a good thing that you didn't fly home with me after all, though I am almost painfully curious about your "special detour" to California. What in the world could possibly lead you to almost circumnavigate the globe just to "pick up something special"? I wish that I could have gone with you. It would have been good to see Otou-san and Okaa-san._

_By the time you read this we will have already spoken on the phone again, yet I still can't resist writing about how great a relief it is that Maria has forgiven me. I know that you told me that she would, yet there was still this lingering fear that my precious little sister would never speak to me again. We had a great time running around all morning, made more interesting because we were running around in disguises. I think that she has more of her grandfather in her than she realizes._

_Anyway, I will be conducting the press conference two hours after you arrive home. I hope that you will watch it?_

_Sincerely [crossed out] _

_Love,_

_Kyoko_


	29. Twenty Ninth Letter

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 29 – A Father's Hand**

_Dear Otou-san and Okaa-san,_

_As promised, I am sending you this letter with all of the relevant details. I will attempt to explain all that has happened as concisely and yet as completely as possible._

_First of all, please forgive my insistence that you remain in California. I know how much you wanted to rush to my side and help me. I cannot begin to express how it makes me feel to have two people be so fiercely protective of me… you are, in every way that counts, true parents to me. Nevertheless, since Kuon is not yet ready to expose his secret, I also cannot risk an inadvertant revelation._

_As you know, I was reluctant to continue calling you Otou-san and Okaa-san, despite your insistence. I was afraid that addressing you in that manner would imply something that… well, you understand. I did not want to seem to be conniving towards your son in any way. But now, after the deep and personal way that you took up my defense, even at the risk of your own reputations, I can't imagine calling you anything else. Regardless of what may happen in the future between Kuon and I, I will always think of you as my parents. [crinkling of the paper and blurring suggests that some water may have dripped on the paper here. Kyoko begins the letter again an inch lower]_

_Now, the details: I was very nervous about the news conference. Although Takarada-Shacho had a team of people work with me about what to say, what not to say, and how to avoid being led into mistakes by the press, I was still petrified. I am sorry to say that I argued with Kuon when he suddenly showed up even though I had specifically told him not too. Your son is very stubborn, however, and he just [the writing becomes erratic here] pulled me into a hug and held me until I stopped struggling. I needed that hug and he knew that I needed that hug. Anyway, after lending me his strength and that mysterious power that he seems to have, he agreed to make himself scarce. It wasn't that I didn't want him there; I just didn't want his reputation to be tarnished alongside mine._

_It turned out to be fortuitous, but not for the reasons that I expected. The news conference began. I made my opening statement. The press began asking their own questions and they seemed to be increasingly aggressive. I don't know how it might have ended, but, as you must have seen on television, it all changed in a moment._

_For the rest of my life I will never forget the scene of Fuwa Keitaro, Shotaro's father, dragging his son into the conference room by the scruff of his collar. I had not seen the Taisho for years. I had sent him a letter on the previous day, but I'm sure that he must have passed the letter on his trip to Tokyo. Whatever the case, he arrived in Tokyo early that morning at Akitoki, demanded to be taken to Shotaro's condo, and then dragged his son out of bed with a minimum of decorum (I know all of this only because Shouko Aki, his manager, made her own apology to me and told me the story). He then proceeded to grill his son on everything that took place since we left Kyoto three years ago. He must have extracted the truth because the next thing he did was to drag that boy into his truck and straight to LME._

_A very red-faced and humiliated rock star stepped right up to me, bowed, and then turned to face the audience. The rest is history, though I still have trouble believing any of it happened. With a very stern-faced father behind him, Shotaro told the true story of our childhood, our friendship, and our flight to Tokyo. He even told the truth about our time in Tokyo and the eventual dissolution of our friendship._

_I wish that he would have stopped there. I am dumbfounded about what he hoped to accomplish by pretending that he thought of me in a romantic way. It was ludicrous for him to imply that he lo[scratched out] cared for me when he regularly and clearly stated that he thought of me as plain, boring, and unworthy. Still, I hope that you were proud of me for listening to his whole confession without losing my temper or allowing my rising grudges to rip him into a quivering mass._

_The next hour after the press conference was both grueling, nauseating and fulfilling. I certainly did not want to spend another second with Shotaro, yet I couldn't refuse Fuwa-Taisho's invitation to lunch after what he had done for me. Once again, it turned out to be fortuitous._

_[Kyoko's writing becomes less fluid and more mechanical here] After a very tense beginning to the meal, with Shotaro grumbling under his breath like a small child, the Taisho and I had a good conversation. Shouko Aki had come along as well and I could tell that she was embarrassed by her charge's attitude in front of his father. The Taisho just ignored his son, except for the occasional hard look. He told me that he and his wife bore me no grudges for leaving in the manner that I did. He also told me that they thought of me as a daughter, not as an obligation. His sincerity touched my heart and made me reexamine a lot of my early preconceptions._

_But it was after Shouko dragged Shotaro off to his next appointment that Fuwa-Taisho really opened up and told me the truth about my mother and my past. I suppose that I never understood why my mother despised me, and now I wonder what she really felt. The story went like this: my mother and father were truly in love. They met when they were middle schoolers and they fell in love instantly. My father was an orphan and was therefore treated poorly by his peers… but never by my mother. She loved him unconditionally and she continued to love him through the rest of school. The Taisho said that my father was highly intelligent, creatively gifted, and a little odd (it seems that he believed in things like faeries and spirits). My mother was down-to-earth and driven. Together they were happy… until the year I was four years old, when he was killed in a car accident._

_My mother was never the same. More relevant to me, she couldn't stand to be around me because I reminded her of him. She moved us from place to place, burying herself in work and in the business of making money. The Fuwas had been friends to both of my parents and she often left me in their care. Eventually, when the neglect grew worse, Fuwa Sachiko and Fuwa Keitaro begged my mother to leave me in their care. The Taisho told me that Fuwa Sachiko has always thought of me as her daughter, but that she never allowed me to think of myself in that manner because both parents hoped to someday wed me to their son._

_[The writing here is better, suggesting that Kyoko walked away from this letter and then returned to it later] He then informed me that he has asked for and received legal guardianship of me when I was twelve… which was when my mother disappeared altogether. I was never told this because the Fuwas wanted me to have the freedom of choice: they did not want me to marry their son out of obligation. They had always hoped that we might marry out of love. Then the Taisho told me one more thing: When and if I ever do choose a man to marry, he (Fuwa-san) would willingly sign the necessary documents. We visited for another hour and I promised to make a visit to the Fuwa Ryokan as soon as possible._

_So then, what I have learned from that lunch is this: Just as you have often told me, there are many wonderful people in my life who love and who have loved me. From now on I will try to open my eyes, wipe away any false filters, and see people as they truly are._

_The same applies to you. Though I may never fully understand why you accepted me into you family so openly, I choose now to accept your love for me as the gift that it is. It is odd: two years ago I thought that I was all alone in this world. Now I have small army of people who I love dearly._

_So thank you, _

_Sincerely,_

_Your adopted son/daughter,_

_Kyoko_


	30. Thirtieth Letter

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 30 – Yes**

_Dear Ren,_

_YES!_

_Love,_

_Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Corn,_

_YES!_

_Love,_

_Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Cain,_

_YES!_

_Though it does seem a little… questionable… considering that you're supposed to be my brother…_

_Love,_

_Kyoko/Setsu_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Kuon,_

_Most sincerely, emphatically, and without any moral or mental reservations: YES!_

_I don't know how you managed to get custody of my secretly-created dolls, but I loved the gesture nonetheless. Of course, since you placed them side-by-side in the middle of the table in the LoveMe room, I had to spend a highly embarrassing hour explaining my reasons for manufacturing all of those different dolls of you to Moko-san and Chiori-san (BTW, I will find a way to punish you for that. Perhaps I'll ask for advice from Okaa-san?)_

_Nevertheless, having a different proposal for each doll, and writing your proposal… "since letter writing was what finally brought us together"… and having mini-Kuon holding the ring box… The ring is beautiful, Kuon. It is the most beautiful piece of jewelry that I have ever seen. To think that it was first given to your great-grandmother by your great-grandfather in Moscow at the beginning of the previous century! I would protest that it is too much, but I already know what you will say if I do (since you already warned me in your Kuon-letter.)_

_So, to you in all of your many disguises from me in all of mine, I will gladly accept this ring and all that goes with it… the most important thing being you._

_With all my love,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

**From: Mogami . Kyoko google . com**

**To: Swandance google . com**

**Attachments: ring . jpg; Ren and Kyoko . jpg**

_Dear Otou-san and Okaa-san,_

_As promised, I have attached the photos that you asked for. It is such an incredible ring… and I feel guilty wearing it._

_I'm sorry that our phone conversation was so short. I was still a little stunned about the ring and the proposal(s), so I probably wasn't too clear-spoken. I also had a job scheduled, so I wasn't able to talk as long with you as I wanted to._

_You are the most gracious and wonderful parents in the world. I know that I am not worthy to be married to your son, just as I am unworthy to join your family, yet you have made me feel so welcome. If, however, you change your mind and cannot endure such a match, please tell me now. I do not know if I could ever be worthy to wear the ring of Okaa-san's great grandmother, and it worries me. (Please do not speak of this with Kuon. He would be angry at me, but I wanted to be fair to you as well. He is your most-precious son and you have the right to worry about the match that he makes)_

_But if you do allow this match, then I promise with all that is in me to dedicate my life to becoming worthy. I will do all in my power to make both you and your son proud. You have my solemn word._

_With utmost affection,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	31. Search and Sadness

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 31 – Search and Sadness**

To: Tsuchuhara Detective Agency

From: Mogami Kyoko

Subj: Missing Person

_Dear Detective-san,_

_Thank you for accepting this case. Takarada-Shacho has strongly recommended your agency to me and I am confident that you can complete this search quickly and quietly._

_I am searching for my mother: Mogami Saena. She is thirty-nine years old and a professional business woman. Unfortunately I do not know what her business was; nor do I know who she might have worked for. She was born and raised around the Kyoto area._

_I was young when my mother left me in the care of the Fuwa family, the owner/operators of the famous Fuwa Ryokan in Kyoto. They knew my mother well, long before I was born. They have consented to answer any questions you may have and to cooperate fully with your search efforts._

_Enclosed you will find my first payment for this case. Thank you for being willing to accept payments, as I am unable to pay the full amount required._

_If you have any more questions, please phone me or text me at xxx-xxx-xxxx._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori-Chan,_

_Thank you so much for you letter. Of course I want to continue to receive your letters… even though Takarada-Shacho has decided to graduate me from LoveMe. As I understand it, it is only a matter of time before both you and Moko-san also graduate._

_Regardless, the nature of the assignment did not require that the recipient of your letters be a LoveMe member anyway. I still feel slightly fraudulent receiving your letters as if I am worthy, but those letters have been so wonderful that I would hate to discontinue this tradition now._

_Congratulations on your new role! Imagine, you're first starring role since childhood! And best of all, as you wrote, it isn't a bully or a mean girl role! I think that you will perform wonderfully as a deaf heroine. I can already picture my dear friend and fellow pink-sufferer saving all of the passengers on the airplane! You will be so cool in this film!_

_Thank you for promising to keep both my and Ren's secrets. Our movie will be released next week. If it opens as well as we are hoping, he will use that impetus to reveal his true identity. I personally think that he is worried unnecessarily. People in Japan love him and I don't think that they will hold this deception against him. After all, Otou-san actually changed __**his**__ stage name by holding a massive funeral for the old identity. Anyway, after the announcement and after we gauge the public reaction, we will make our second announcement. It is still difficult for me to believe, but every day he makes me believe that he truly does want to marry me. How can one girl be so blessed, Chiori-chan?_

_It has been three days since hiring the detective, and still no word. Am I making the right decision in seeking out my mother? It is just… I want her to know that I am doing well now. And I need to know that she is doing well; even if she doesn't care to see me._

_Good luck on filming. Osaka isn't that far away, but I wish that you didn't need to be gone for quite so long. Having just returned from Paris, it seems like everyone I know is now scattering. Perhaps it will be like this for all of us for many years to come. If so, then I hope that we will be able to continue writing._

_Your friend,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Fuwas,_

_I could have passed this information on in a phone call, but I didn't know if I would be able to maintain proper composure. And I didn't wish to disappoint you with my lack of decorum. Still, since you were closer to my mother than anyone else I know, I wanted to pass on this news to you._

_My mother, Mogami Saena, passed away one year ago in the country of Singapore, where she had taken up residence. For several years she owned and operated a clothing business there under the name of Takegima Shiora, until her health failed her and she had to sell it. She remained on the island, alone, for another seven months. She passed away quietly in her sleep after being admitted to a small regional hospital._

_Tsuruga Ren is flying to Singapore with me in three days so that I can collect her possessions and settle any outstanding debts._

_Thank you for being her friend. I wish that she would have turned to you in her loneliness, even if she never wished to see me again._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Mother,_

_When this letter is completed it will be included in the mausoleum with your urn and with the other small tokens to the spirits. It is impossible to know if your spirit will see this, but I hope so._

_I want you to know… No, I need you to know that I forgive you. I never understood why you rejected me as a child. It hurt terribly and it took many years, good friends, and the love of a truly wonderful man to help me to finally overcome that hurt. But I do understand now. I understand what it is to have someone become so completely dear to you that the very thought of life without him is… incomprehensible. And so I forgive you. I hope that this will give you some measure of peace where you are now._

_Although I felt like I was intruding when I gathered your possessions, I am glad that I did. For all of these years I believed that you never cared for me. To find copies of my shows, copies of the magazines with my modelling attempts, and even copies of Fuwa Sho's "Prisoner" PV shocked me. It never occurred to me that you might be following my career. I hope that you liked my films, such as they are… and I want to believe that you might have been just a little bit proud of me?_

_More than anything else, I wish that I could have introduced Hizuri Kuon to you. You never knew about my childhood meeting, but perhaps you know of it now, wherever you are. Only fate could have allowed me to meet such a wonderful boy, and then meet him again as an even more wonderful man. A part of me still wants to run and hide and deny my good luck, but another part… the stronger part, intends to hold on to him for the rest of our lives._

_And so, rest peacefully, Mother. I am well… and I am happy. I hope and pray that the same is true for you._

_Your daughter,_

_Mogami Kyoko (Soon to be Hizuri Kyoko)_


	32. Thirty second letter

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Letter 32 – Revelation and Reactions**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_How is filming in Singapore? Has it been difficult playing a blind girl?_

_Life has been very eventful here. I am sure that you've seen at least the rudiments of Ren's revelation to the Press, even there in Singapore. After all, he is famous throughout Asia, not just in Japan. Tsuruga Ren stepped up to the podium at 9:00 am this morning in front of a packed room of reporters. He stepped up wearing a hoodie, which was strange enough… but then he pulled out his contact case and took out his brown contact lenses… and removed his hood. Everyone was too stunned to respond at first, but then everyone began speaking at once._

_Ren… Kuon lifted a hand and everyone went silent. I am always amazed at his acting. I knew that he was very worried, but nobody could have told as he began speaking. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my real name is not Tsuruga Ren. That name is my stage name… though it is the only name by which I was known for the past seven, almost eight years. My real name is Hizuri Kuon. I am the son of Hizuri Kuu and Julie." You could have dropped a bomb at that moment and it would not have had the same impact as those words. The frenzy only got worse when the Hizuri's stepped out from the side-entrance._

_Otou-san and Okaa-san flew in the previous day. We had a nice private dinner at Ren's apartment. It was the first time that I was able to see the Hizuri family all together. I had once seen Otou-san and Ren together, but I didn't make the connection at the time. Ironically, I was acting as "teen-Kuon" at that moment, and the embarrassment of the unexpected meeting with Ren disconcerted me. Now it seems so obvious. Hizuri Kuu and Kuon look so much alike, though Kuon is [a little of Kyoko's normal self must have come out here. Her calligraphy is slightly erratic, showing embarrassment for her words] even more handsome._

_I am enclosing the article from Tokyo Entertainment Daily because the article is honest and because it has the best picture of Kuon… with his blond hair and China Blue eyes. I will let the article speak for itself. Ren[crossed out] Kuon (is this as confusing for you as it is for me?) was expecting more of a negative reaction, but the Press was actually kind; even after he revealed that he got into a lot of trouble in his teen years. I think that Takarada-Shacho did a lot of behind-the-scenes work to ensure a positive response. I'll let you read the article. It says it the best._

_Please take care in Australia. The airplane scenes will have a certain amount of danger, even if the "airplane" is actually a fuselage in a studio._

_The next letter that I send you will have a different type of insert._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_

[Inserted article clipping from Tokyo Entertainment Daily]

_**Tokyo Entertainment Daily – August 14, 2012**_

_**Tsuruga Ren is Hizuri Kuon! From Troubled Teen to Renaissance Man**_

_**By Shigaruwa Michikuga**_

Tokyo was stunned this morning when Tsuruga Ren, Japan's Top Actor and Most Desirable Man, held a press conference to reveal one of the most well-kept secrets in the entertainment world: He is actually Hizuri Kuon, the long-lost son of one of the entertainment industries most famous and beloved couples: Hizuri Kuon and Julietta.

Seven, almost eight years ago a the Hizuri's son… who most would have described as a "troubled teen" and who others described as a hooligan… fell off the face of the planet. Hizuri Kuon, at the age of fifteen, had already been in various different films, television shows and modeling jobs. At the time his producers and directors often described him as reckless and temperamental, though he did have a reputation for reliability. Rumors of a series of questionable fights began to reach the press and his reputation was becoming worse. Then Rick Thomas, another young actor and the man who was rumored to have taken Kuon under his wings died suddenly in a tragic car accident. Further rumors placed Kuon on the scene, but this was never confirmed. The investigation labeled the death as an accident.

Shortly after that incident, Hizuri Kuon dropped of the Hollywood landscape, though it was almost six months later before people began to ask questions. The Hizuris never replied to any inquiries at that time or in the following years. When one ambitious reporter checked with the local police she was assured that his whereabouts were known and that he was safe. No further information surfaced until this surprise announcement today.

Tsuruga Ren appeared on Japan's entertainment scene six months after Hizuri Kuon disappeared. His modeling work saw immediate success, but it was another six months before he began to achieve any recognition in film. Tsuruga-san has since performed in over fifty commercials, twelve dramas and sixteen feature films. These numbers are unprecedented and unmatched by any other actor, but it is part of the legend of Tsuruga Ren. He has a reputation as a consummate professional and a gifted actor, but he is known best for two other qualities: He is called the "hardest working man in entertainment" and "the co-star killer."

Ren earned the first title because he often works every day of the week from early morning until late into the night. His manager, Yashiro Yukihito, is said to be the most efficient manager in the business, and he needs to be. On any given day Tsuruga Ren might be seen on two or three different filming sets and often posing for modeling work. And still he has earned a golden reputation for always being on-time, on-task, and being a one-take king (meaning that the director seldom has to have the man re-film a scene.

His second title as the "co-star killer" has to do with two things. First of all, whenever he is on-set with another actor or actress he often performs so well that he leads his fellow actor, often drawing out a better performance than was expected. Second, due to his handsome good looks and kind demeanor, the female actresses almost invariably fall in love with him. Although he has almost never been involved in any type of scandal, he has still managed to leave many longing hearts and hungry looks in his wake. Now that he has revealed his "true colors"… namely blond hair and blue eyes (see photo)… his appeal may only grow stronger.

There is another quality that few other actors share: he is a Renaissance Man, able to quote Shakespeare, speak multiple languages, shoot several weapons with pinpoint accuracy and play a piano and guitar beautifully. Most of these skills were ones that he learned in order to perform well in one film-role or another, often learning the new skill only shortly before or _during_ filming.

But if you are still holding out hopes, ladies, you might want to reconsider: Hizuri Kuon left the press conference with his arm over his current love interest, actress Mogami Kyoko. From what this reporter observed, not only was the couple still very attached to each other, but the young actress seemed to be on intimate terms with Kuon's parents. One reporter who was close to the couple distinctly heard the young lady… a rising star in her own right… addressing the elder Hizuri couple as "Otou-san" and "Okaa-san"… which implies that this relationship is much deeper than suspected. (For more on Tsuruga Ren, a.k.a. Hizuri Kuon and Mogami Kyoko, see the article "From Paris with Love?" on page 3).

The Hizuris, father, mother and son have consented to an open interview this afternoon. An article on that interview will be available in tomorrow's paper.

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Kuon,_

_I asked Yashiro-san to give you this letter just before your afternoon interview. I'm very sorry that my own schedule precludes my attendance; I wanted to be there to support you._

_It was obvious that this second meeting with the Press was almost more intimidating to you than the first. I thought that this was because you were concerned about what Otou-san and Okaa-san might say, but now I understand your true concern: you didn't want any negative questions to be directed at your parents concerning your decision to leave at such a young age. I suppose that I can understand such a concern altogether too well… since you have often berated me for my own tendency to take the blame for every little thing. Now it is my turn: whatever happens, whatever is asked, neither you nor your parents have any reason to hang your head._

_To me, your decision to relocate and reinvent yourself is the bravest, noblest, and most amazing accomplishment. Other people wallow in their mistakes and never move on. You took a huge step, shook off your past, moved out from your father's shadow and made yourself into an incredible person and an amazing actor. Long before I was ever able to accept my true feelings for you, I respected you more than any other man. You wiped off the dust of the past and became Japan's foremost actor... and a good man._

_As far as your parents are concerned… I hope that you will not feel that I overstepped, but I spoke with your mother. Both your father and mother are inordinately proud of what you did and of the man that you have become. Whatever might be asked, they are more than prepared to weather the storm with you and support you… even if it leads to ignominy and scandal… which neither I nor they believe it will._

_So hold your head up high, Corn. You have earned the right._

_And although it is embarrassing to write, I will do so anyway: I love you for who you are, who you were, and who you will become in the future. To me they are all the same: My Corn._

_Love,_

_Kyoko_


	33. Invitations

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Invitations**

_**The personal invitations, sent out to only three-hundred hand-picked guests**_

Because you have shared in  
>our lives and careers by your support, friendship and love, we<br>Mogami Kyoko  
>and<br>Hizuri Kuon  
>together with Kuon's parents<br>invite you to share  
>the beginning of our new life together when we exchange marriage vows<br>on Friday, the eleventh of January  
>two thousand thirteen at two o'clock<br>in the Grand Hall of the Takarada Mansion  
>104 Majestic Avenue<br>Tokyo, Japan

_**The public invitation, printed in every major Japanese newspaper and read out loud during the prime-time news broadcasts**_

Because you have leant us your support  
>throughout our public careers, we<br>Mogami Kyoko  
>and<br>Hizuri Kuon  
>together with Kuon's parents<br>invite you to share  
>the beginning of our new life together when we exchange marriage vows<br>on Friday, the eleventh of January  
>two thousand thirteen at two o'clock<br>Although the ceremony itself will be held as a small gathering  
>it will be televised on the three major networks so that<br>you may share this special moment with us  
>if you choose<p>

**oOoOOoOo**

_Dear Chiori-chan,_

_I know that both Okaa-san and I will have already contacted you, by phone, by the time that you read this letter. I wanted to write anyway: I was worried that you might not be able to accommodate five days out of your filming schedule for this shopping trip along with three days for the wedding preparations. Although Ren muttered about Takarada-Shacho's "meddling" in our wedding plans, I am glad that he had already made the arrangements with your director. It just wouldn't have been the same without you there._

_You will love Paris! I felt bad about Okaa-san's insistence on paying for everything, but she and Otou-san ganged up on me. Regardless, it if means that Moko-san, Maria-chan, you and I can take this trip together with her, than I will concede (I WILL find a way to pay her back later… but please don't tell her that. She is as bad as Ren about spending money on me)._

_As our president predicted, the media frenzy over our announcement was incredible! Ren is such a popular actor that it shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was still shocking when we started receiving interview requests from places as far as Moscow and Alberta. LME had to shut down our profiles temporarily because the hits exceeded the capacity within the first hour after the announcement. Neither Ren nor I could go anywhere without being swamped, and it has caused problems on several sets. I tried to apologize to my directors, but they only laughed it off and said that the publicity would help their ratings. I knew that Ren would be swamped, but it was a surprise how many reporters focused on me. I was terrified that people would throw rocks at me for presuming to even associate with the great Tsuruga Ren, yet most people have actually been very supportive. In fact, several of the articles were wonderfully supportive, although they were overly generous with their praise of my qualifications and career. It has been a week now and things are beginning to settle down, but the crowds outside of LME and our filming locations are still huge._

_I look forward to seeing you in Paris in one week! The break from all of this hulaballoo will be nice._

_Sincerely,_

_Mogami Kyoko_


	34. A Letter from the Train

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Dear Senpai 34 – Today, and From This Day Forward**

_Dear Mother,_

_This letter will join the first letter that I wrote to you. I am also including a BlueRay disk of my wedding to Hizuri Kuon. [The writing of this next sentence is messier, as if Kyoko was struggling to form the correct words] It would have been nice if you could have been there._

_Hizuri Kuon, as you know from my previous letter, is the son of the famous Hizuri couple. They were famous in Japan during your time, so I'm positive that you know who they are. What you don't know, unless you are watching from the spirit realm, is that Kuon and I have known each other since we were little. I didn't learn the truth until very recently, but he has been the prince of my heart since I was six and he was ten. I only knew him for ten days then, yet he remained in my heart through the years until I met him again. It turns out that he recognized me soon after we met again, though I didn't know the truth until two, nearly three years later._

_Now Kuon is my husband. It is difficult to believe, even now while I sit in a private car on the bullet train and he sleeps with his beautiful blond head on my lap. We will begin our first week together in Kyoto, where Kuon, or Ren as I still think of him most of the time, has leased rooms in Gosho, the actual Imperial Palace! He knows how much I dreamed of being a princess as a child and now he is making it happen, if only for a short while. So while we pass near your place of rest, I will stop and place this letter with your urn._

_It is dark outside of the train windows now. This day has been incredibly long. Even though Oka[scratched out] Julie-san and many others worked hard every day prior to the event to get everything ready, this day was still a marathon. There were only three-hundred invited guests, but almost as many cameras. We thought that the wedding was only going to be televised on three channels. Instead we are now told that it was shown live in seven countries and was streamed internationally. I'm glad that I didn't know that during the wedding._

_My bridesmaids and my flower girl were unbelievably stunning. Jelly-san, who calls herself a "makeup/stylist witch," is truly magical. She made Mo[scratched out] Kotonami Kanae-san and Amamiya Chiori-san look like angels from heaven (though Kanae is already one of the most beautiful girls in the world and Chiori is very pretty) and she made Takarada Maria-chan look like a faerie. They walked down the aisle first, naturally, and I felt pale in comparison to their beauty. I hope that the contrast wasn't too apparent. These three girls have become very dear to me and it meant everything that they were here with me on this special day. In Kyoto I didn't have any friends. In Tokyo I met the best friends any girl could imagine._

_I want to think that you would be proud of me, Mother. I did not stumble once throughout the entire ceremony, despite the flashing cameras and my constant nerves. It would have been so much easier if I could have slipped into a character. But Kuon warned me that he wanted to marry Kyoko, not a fictional façade… so I controlled my panic and remained as I am. It was much harder being just me. As I walked down the aisle holding onto Fuwa Taisho's arm, and as I drew closer and closer to the vestibule where Kuon was waiting for me, I couldn't help but question if I was worthy of such a man. He is so perfect and I am so [the sentence was left unfinished]._

_I probably would have run away, but his beautiful blue eyes held me fast. Did my father make you feel like that? Are you together now? I hope so. It was only after the Taisho told me about my father and your loss that I finally understood you, at least a little. Since then I have lain awake at night and tried to remember anything about him. Sadly, there are only the shadows of memories now._

_You may be wondering why so many people were interesting in our wedding. Tsuruga Ren was already a hugely popular star in Japan and throughout Asia. His reputation and skills were already beginning to make inroads into the western countries and the United States. When the news broke about our relationship even more people became interested, though I don't truly understand why. But when he revealed his true identity the world sat up and paid attention. I am still relatively unknown and probably always will be; though I will be known as Ren's… or Kuon's wife. But he is now a megastar with offers from all over the world. Actually, I'm getting a lot of offers too, but that is most likely a reaction to my relationship with Kuon. Regardless, the result has been overwhelming interest in our wedding. That was daunting and embarrassing, but it was all worth it to have him sleeping comfortably with his head on my lap, as he is now. (Have I mentioned that he has the softest hair in the world? I can't keep my other hand out of I while I write this letter. It is probably good that you won't actually be reading this)._

_There were two Masters-of-Ceremonies at our reception instead of one. Takarada Lory expected and deserved the honor, but Ren proposed and I accepted the idea of asking the Taisho from the Daruma-Ya to serve as the second MC. Perhaps I should tell you a little about the Daruma-Ya. When I first moved to Tokyo I worked three jobs in order to afford a ridiculously expensive apartment that Fuwa Shotaro thought that he needed (it is remarkable that I can write that name without rancor, but now that Kuon has my heart the past doesn't seem to matter anymore). One of the jobs was as a waitress and assistant cook at a small-but-classy hibachi-style restaurant named the Daruma-Ya (it was named that after the little daruma-dolls that were placed around the building. There is a story behind those, but they never revealed it to me). The restaurant was owned and operated by a wonderful older couple who treated me like their own daughter rather than as a mere employee._

_When Shotaro and I parted ways the couple took me in. Until very recently I have lived in the loft over the restaurant. At first I continued to work for them while also performing my LME tasks. Eventually I became too busy, but they never complained or made me feel bad for not helping them. They allowed me to pay rent, but I know that they could have charged much more. In many ways they seemed like family._

_The Okami-san is a wonderful, comfortable lady, different in many ways that Fuwa Okami-san, but similar in other ways. The Taisho is usually a taciturn man. At first he was very intimidating but I grew used to his tough exterior and grew to love him… actually both of them dearly. Still, to be frank, I wasn't expecting much in the way of a speech from him. It was a great surprise indeed when he spoke with clarity and dignity, almost stealing the show from "the Boss," as the Hizuri's call Takarada-shacho. His speech was embarrassing, though; because he spoke eloquently about me rather than saying the usual platitudes. I never knew that he felt that way and it made me cry (actually, he made a lot of people cry with his kind words… though he exaggerated greatly about me; something that I have to excuse because of the nature of the moment). He was mostly kind to Kuon, but I sensed some sort of veiled threat when he spoke about how Kuon should "always treat 'our precious child' with respect and tender care."_

_It is black outside the windows now and the stars are brilliant in the heavens. The announcer has just informed us that we are approaching Kyoto. I should have slept, but I so much wanted this private moment to write to you one final time. It is impossible to know what the future may bring, Mother, but as long as this wonderful man continues to love me I know that it will be good._

_In three days, after our stay in the castle, we will fly to Paris where we will walk the same streets and bridges where we first began dating and where I finally accepted love again. It is wonderful there, but it really wouldn't matter where we go… as long as my Prince Corn is with me._

_If you can, please watch over us, both now and for as many years as we are given to walk this world together._

_With love,_

_Hizuri Kyoko_

_p.s. That was the first time I signed with my new name. This will definitely take some getting used to._


	35. His Greatest Achievement

**Dear Senpai**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga.

**Summary:** Lory has conceived yet another devious scheme, wrapped in the guise of a LoveMe assignment. All the girls have to do is to write at least one letter a week to the person they respect the most. Simple… right?

**Dear Senpai 1,786 – His Greatest Achievement**

_My Dear Senpai,_

_Yukihito has promised me that he will make sure that you check your tuxedo pocket, assuming that you don't find this letter on your own. It was a mark or his love and respect for you that he insisted on being your manager "one more time," even though his duties as Maria-Shacho's Vice-President keep him so busy. I think that it is fitting for him to hold this post on this night, though I mean no disrespect to Shoji-san. Shoji is a good manager, but it was Yashiro who "had your back" for the first fifteen years._

_Anyway, on to the purpose of this letter: CONGRATULATIONS! No person in this world can be more proud of you than I am at this moment as you prepare to receive your Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Academy of Entertainment. And no person deserves this award more than you do._

_[The calligraphy here is a little erratic, as if written in an irritated rush] I will not be petty, but it is about time. Despite your stubborn insistence on putting my own LAA in the trophy case in a prominent position with all of our other awards, it has been the bane of my existence for the past six years. I cannot understand why the Academy would be so foolish as to award such an honor to me first. I don't see why all of these different groups keep insisting on heaping awards on me when [the paragraph stops abruptly here]_

_Forgive me. That is all in the past now because the IAE has finally come to their senses and recognized true greatness. Tonight everything will return to what it should be, Senpai._

_As I write this letter I can look out of my tower office window and see you on the great lawn, rolling around and staining your clothes as our great-grandchildren crawl all over you. Who would have thought that you would have taken Otou-san's place as the Ouya-baka of our family? Yet somehow it just looks right for you to be there, with them. We have had a good first fifty years together, have we not?_

_Your prepared speech is sitting on my desk beside this letter. I love the fact that you count our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren as your true "lifetime achievement." Even if a couple of our children have displayed a certain "Koun-ishness," as the Boss used to describe it, they all evened out in the end. Doctors, Lawyers, Authors, Actors, Singers, and even one Rocket Scientist (though how Aori managed that with her highschool math scores, I'll never know); they each went on to become successful, or at least content._

_Oops, I drifted off there for the last ten-or-so minutes. I need to get back to my letter instead of gazing down at you. Maria-Shacho agrees with me that, even at seventy-four, you are still the most handsome man we have ever seen (though we won't tell her husband that). I'm so glad that she was given the honor of presenting the award tonight. I think that she still loves you, you know. She might have given you to me, but I don't think that her heart ever completely let you go. I know from experience that a little girl can fall in love like that. I never once forgot my Prince Corn, even though it took me years to find him again._

_I wish that Otou-san and Lori were still here to see this moment with us. Otou-san would have spent the evening regaling everyone within hearing distance with tales of your great deeds. Lori would have shown up riding an elephant, dressed as the King of Persia. But he would have been beaming with pride. Lori once confided in me that you were like a son to him after you escaped to Japan. He may have been the most eccentric person that either of us will ever meet, but I don't believe that any man ever had a bigger heart. Even Moko-san, who usually acted annoyed with just about everything the man did, still burns incense to his picture every week. I suppose that all of his LoveMe children, us first three plus the hundreds who followed, will always hold him close to our hearts._

_Moko-san has promised, upon penalty of death, not to twit you about anything tonight. Sometimes I believe that you and she enjoy taking shots at each other entirely too much. If it weren't for her deep and abiding love for Yukihito, I might be concerned. After all, she is still one of the most beautiful women in the world, ranked right at the top with Okaa-san. If I live to be ninety-six I hope that I can look even half as good as she does. _

_Moko-san spoke with Sachiko and she assures us that arrangements were already made for a limo to pick up Sachiko and Okaa-san when they arrive at the airport. I don't know why Okaa-san still feels the need to attend fashion shows, but at least Sachiko is there to watch over her. We both knew that Sachiko would become CEO of Swan Design after Julie retired, and not just because she is the daughter of my best friend and married our Kuji. She is as beautiful as her Moko-san and as stylish as her grandmother-in-law._

_Chiori phoned again to apologize for not making the trip. Not even she can control a tropical storm shutting down the airport. I assured her that we understood. After all, she directed three of your last four hit-movies, so she will be here with you in spirit anyway. Directing was such a fitting and natural transition for her. Like Moko-san, she never liked the shallow, vacuous stories that characterized too much of entertainment. Her determination to change Japan's focus one movie or television drama at a time has finally given Japan the credibility that it wanted, and I am so proud of her. (Of course I never told her about all of the times you grumbled about her in private when she made you re-do a scene)._

_Anyway, this letter has become much longer than I anticipated or intended. Just know this, Tsuruga-Hizuri-Senpai: I love you dearly and I am more proud of you than mere words can ever say._

_With all of my love,_

_Your Eternal Kohai_

**oOoOOoOo**

On the twenty-second of November, in the year two-thousand and sixty-two, veteran actor, model, and Professor of Film Acting at both Tokyo University and the Los Angeles Film Institute Hizuri Kuon stood before a packed crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Facebook Center in Anaheim, California to receive his Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Academy of Entertainment. At the age of seventy-four he still towered above almost everyone in the room. His blond hair and eyebrows were snowy-white, but his China-blue eyes were still clear. With great dignity and grace he walked up to the podium, accepted the trophy from Maria Takarada, the President of LME International, and kissed her on the cheek. Everyone laughed while she blushed and took her seat on the platform. Then he moved to the podium. In the expected silence he pulled out what appeared to be an envelope, which he regarded affectionately before setting it aside.

Then Kuon Hizuri, as western audiences knew him, delivered the following address:

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the International Academy of Entertainers, Mom, friends, family, and all of those who are watching this event and lending me your kind support, Thank You for this Lifetime Achievement Award. It means a lot to me to think that you wanted me to have this.

"I have a confession to make: today I lied to my beautiful and beloved wife. Wait, don't be alarmed. I promise that it wasn't anything too bad. I simply allowed her to read the prepared speech that she thought that I intended to deliver tonight. But that was a ruse so that I could make sure that she was here and that she would not hide at home tonight…

"Now, Kyoko-dear, please stop glaring at me. It isn't anything bad, I promise.

"In my prepared speech I thanked you all for this award and I thanked all of the producers and directors and fellow actors and filming crews and makeup artists and everyone else that helped to make all of the movies and commercials and television shows and modeling shoots possible… and I still wish to thank all of you. Our audiences only get to see what we intend them to see… but to make that magic happen requires an army of specialists and technicians who, sadly, often go through their entire careers without getting the recognition due to them. So I thank you. This award belongs to each of you as much, if not more than it does to me.

"Next, my prepared speech suggested that my true lifetime achievement was my family; my three sons and two daughters; and my grandchildren, all sixteen of them; or now my great-grandchildren: so far there are seven of those and I love and cherish each and every one. Regardless of any success that I may have attained in my career, _they_ are my true happiness and I am proud of every one of them.

"Yet… although I am proud of both my career and my family, I still do not count either of these as my greatest achievement. Ladies and gentlemen, my greatest achievement happened almost fifty years ago today, when the gorgeous golden-eyed woman who is sitting at the front table placed her hand in mine and agreed to be my wife. [He waited for the anticipated awww's and ohhh's to still before he continued]. And before you write this off as mere pro-forma words for a husband to speak, let me tell you a story:

"I first met my Kyoko when I was only ten… and she only six. I met her in a small, hidden clearing in the middle of the ancient capitol of Japan, Kyoto, and she impacted me so strongly that I kept going back to that clearing to see her again and again. I only spent ten days with her before I had to fly back to California, and I foolishly failed to provide for a means to contact her from a distance. Ten years later we met again, though I was working under the stage name of Tsuruga Ren. I recognized her, but she didn't recognize me. We each had our own issues at the time, yet I couldn't stay away from her. I was twenty when I fell in love with that sixteen-year-old golden-eyed girl, but it took me another two years before she ever gave me the slightest hope that she might ever love me in return. Those were a tense, painful and arduous two years, fraught with the fear that my Kyoko would open her heart to another man and that I would lose her forever [more aww's and ohhh's].

"Even when she confessed her love for me, I could not relax until she wore my ring on her finger and she spoke her vows to me. [A sheepish look and a soft chuckle] I was so tense right up until that ceremony that I actually slept for the first ten hours of our honeymoon… a great disappointment considering my reputation at the time, I'm sure [the crowd laughed and Kyoko hid her reddened face].

"But let me tell you, friends, that it was worth the ten years of separation and the two years of unremitting anxiety. Kyoko is my love, my companion, and my dearest friend. She sometimes calls me 'Senpai,' which means mentor in Japanese; but I have learned more about acting from her then she ever learned from me… Now stop scowling at me, Dear… She is the mother of my children and the ideal grandmother to our ever-growing brood. And although between us we have amassed a small collection of awards over the years [the crowd laughed again at this huge understatement], I only have to look at her to see the only trophy that I ever wanted and that I will always cherish above all others.

"And so, ladies and gentleman, I thank you for this Lifetime Achievement Award… and I dedicate this award to the one who matters the most to me: My Kyoko."

**THE END**

**Author's Note: **Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I hope that you've enjoyed it.

I apologize for deviating from the letter-format in this final chapter, but I wanted to end this way since the beginning of the story and couldn't find any way that Kyoko would re-write these words into a letter.

If you will read my profile, I make note of two stories that I am currently working on in fictionpress. If you have the time I would appreciate it if you would give them a read and let me know what you think.


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